A Journey of Odds
by goldenpuon
Summary: When an earthquake cuts the Ice Age herd in two, they don't know where to turn. But can a bunch of crazy animals who join them really help them in the long run?
1. More than a Barrier

Disclaimer: I wish I could say I owned Ice age but I do not. All are property of Blue Sky Studios.

But I do own Sheba, Samson, Len, Talia and all the rest of my characters, etc. etc. that will appear in upcoming chapters.

Anyway, to the story!!

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The evening air was still. It was dead silent. Not a bird or insect made a sound. The only sounds were the rustling of the leaves and the occasional sound of the breeze. But the mammoth standing next to his mate knew it hadn't been this way for long. It was quite the opposite. As he looked at his mate's worried face, a feeling of unease settled upon him as he remembered the events that happened less than an hour ago.

Start of flashback

It was your typical afternoon. Animals frolicked and youngsters played. And as usual, the two possums of the herd - or miscreants as Diego called them- were playing a game of tag. The mammoth bull sighed as the possums by the names of Crash and Eddie, got too close to the carefully done mobile he was making for his mate for perhaps the 11th time that day.

"I told you to stay clear of that! I'm not gonna tell you again!" he rumbled angrily.

"I thought you said not to touch it, not away from it!" the possum, Eddie replied.

"My point exactly!" echoed his brother Crash. "You said we couldn't play with it, not that we couldn't be in the same forest as it! You're such a part pooper."

The mammoth, Manny was just about to march over to them and give them a spanking of their lifetimes when a beautiful female mammoth came out of the bushes.

"Is the surprise done yet?" she asked as her beautiful green eyes scanning the area.

"Not yet Ellie." Manny exclaimed. "And those two." He said pointing to the possums, "are stalling my efforts. They're acting up and being-"

"Miscreants." A smooth voice interjected as a tawny saber tooth tiger made his way through the undergrowth. It was Diego. "Miscreants" had been his favorite name to call the possums the past two months despite their protest.

"They're not miscreants. They're possums." replied Sid, a lovable but extremely annoying sloth with the world's worst hygiene. He walked out of the bushes just in time to get a serious glare from Manny. The mammoth sighed.

"Whatever." he replied, ignoring them. "I have to get this done." Manfred was just about to turn tail when Diego bounded up to him.

"Manny. We didn't just come here to kid around. There's something serious going on."

"Like what?" the mammoth asked as he walked by, not really paying attention.

"Well, I have this funny feeling. It kind of reminds me of-"

The ground gave a quick, mild shake. All eyes turned to Diego. Now everyone sensed something was up though they didn't know what it was.

"I don't know." replied Sid, picking up a dandelion to eat, thinking they were looking at him for an answer.

Diego sighed. "Like I said, I think there is going to be a-"

"EARTHQUAKE!" Ellie screamed.

Suddenly there was a loud rumble. Rocks began to crack and weak saplings fell to the ground as the ground started shaking violently. The Earth began to tremble and the whole forest started to fall down tree by tree and cliffs and caves crumbled to the ground.

"Everybody this way!" Manny yelled as he spotted a clearing nearby free of anything that might fall on them. Manny promptly put Sid on his back and the possums rushed onto Ellie. The group charged toward the clearing, dodging rocks and trees that fell. The herd went to the center of the meadow and huddled together there, waiting for the terrible earthquake to end.

Suddenly the ground stopped shaking and all fell quiet. After a few moments, Sid climbed off Manny's back and Crash and Eddie sighed in relief.

"Is it over?" Ellie asked Manny.

But before her mate could reply, the earthquake suddenly resumed a and huge rock cliff started making it's way out of the ground right where the herd was standing.

Diego leapt to the other side of the cliff as Sid climbed onto his back to escape the jagged rocks popping up beneath his paws. Following Diego, the possums leaped across the rocks. But soon they realized they were in quite a predicament. The rock wall was continuing to rise between them and they quickly realized that their herd was being torn in half.

"Ellie!" Manny cried as the rock wall started to grow between him and her ripping her from his grip.

"Manny!" Ellie called back as they were torn apart from each other and Ellie was hoisted up as part of the cliff started emerging beneath her. She would soon be pushed up high above the rest if they didn't act soon.

"Help me push Ellie to the other side of the cliff before it gets any bigger! Quickly!" Diego yelled to the others on his side above the sound of the Earth trembling.

"Why?" exclaimed the possums and Sid at once.

"Just do it!" he yelled anxiously. The possums, Diego and Sid jumped up on the ledge and pushed against Ellie. Ellie strained to get herself over the rocks emerging beneath her belly. And with the others helping her, she was able to get to the other side enough for Manny to grasp her trunk and pull her over. The other tried to jump over to the other side but now the cliff was growing faster than ever and their attempts to reach the other side became impossible as the cliff became too steep to climb. The possums and Diego continued to try to jump to the other side but soon they ran out of energy and realized that what they were attempting was a frivolous task.

Diego, Sid, and the possums watched in shock and despair as the rock wall continued to grow until it was high above their head and grew to span the length entire distance of the meadow, the forest, and beyond, until the end of it was out of sight. But they only had a few seconds to take in what was happening before Manny shouting back from them from the other side of the every growing rock wall.

"Where are you?" he yelled.

"We're stuck on the other side! We can't get over!" Eddie yelled back above the sound of the earthquake.

"Guys!" Manny yelled from the other side. "The rock wall is getting wider! It's getting hard to hear you!"

"How will we find you?" Crash shouted to Manny.

"We'll meet you on the other side!" Diego replied before the mammoth could respond. "Which direction will you be heading?"

"Ellie and I will head northwest until we find the end of the wall!" Manny shouted.

"North what?" the possums yelled as sound began to get drowned out further.

"Northwest!"

"Northeast?" they asked again, unsure of what Manny had said.

"Straight Northwest!" he shouted louder.

"Got it!" the possums replied just as Manny reply from the other side became too quiet and muffled to hear.

"What did he say?" Diego asked, his voice serious.

"Straight North!" Crash replied.

"So we'll go-" The saber tried to finish his sentence but he was cut off by Sid.

"It's still getting taller!" Sid said nervously.

"And wider!" Crash and Eddie yelled as rock began to appear beneath their feet.

"Ok. We got the information we needed. Now follow me this way so you don't get separated!" Diego yelled above the sound of the still shaking Earth. Diego ran away from the rock wall as fast as he could with Sid on his back and the possums right on his tail. They ran for a long time, dodging incoming saplings along the way. By the time they stopped running, the tremors from the Earth had begun to stop and the rock wall was nothing but a tall silhouette as they looked back toward the horizon.

Crash and Eddie collapsed from exhaustion now that they were far enough away. Diego lay down panting.

"Is it over?" Eddie asked.

"No. Our journey… has just begun." Diego said between breaths.

After a few moments rest, the saber guided the others to a place where a large tree trunk fell. "We can rest under this tree tonight."

"I am so… tired." Sid said yawning. He let his arms almost drag on the ground and his head lean forward as if he couldn't take another step without collapsing.

"But it's not bed time yet. Plus you were riding on my back the whole way." Diego said smirking at the sloth slightly amused.

"But but!" Sid said perking up and raising his hands in protest.

"Oooh! Poor Sid." Crash said grinning. "We're gonna be up for all night."

"Yeah, and we're gonna make you carry us and walk a hundred miles!" Eddie added, laughing.

Sid looked over at Diego desperately. "Are they really gonna make me-"

"They're joking Sid." Diego said mildly glaring at Sid. "Come on, we have to see how much damage the earthquake caused before nightfall." At that, he walked off with the possums and Sid who soon followed.

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End Flashback

(A/N: I included what happened with Diego, Sid, Crash, and Eddie past the point where they split up with Manny and Ellie because I couldn't fit it anywhere else so I hope you don't mind that. Though Manny and Ellie won't know what happened past the point where they were split up just to clarify.)

Manfred's mind slowly came back to the present a chilly evening breeze blew past him. Ellie was looking around the area where some trees had fallen.

"The damage looks pretty bad doesn't it?" Ellie said to her mate. She was examining a large oak tree lying on the ground.

"It is. But it's nothing we can't get past." Manny said though he had doubts. Manny sighed as he took in the extensive damage as well. What the earthquake had done seemed gravely worse than damage the huge meltdown four years back had caused. Not a tree stood. Branches and foliage lay everywhere and there were many cracks in the ground. Areas where rivers and lakes were drained or so full in debris they looked more like a soup than a body of water. Manny's eyes fell upon the forest. Instead of being a maze of tall trees, the pine forest was a labyrinth of green and tree trunks that hid pointy rocks and sharp inclines meaning single wrong step in it could cause serious injury.

Manny looked at the setting sun above them. It was getting late. "Let's go Ellie. We need to find a place to rest for the night." Manny cautiously walked into the fallen forest with Ellie. He knew a lot lay ahead of them. But just who or what lay ahead of them was a mystery, one he would soon find out.

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So how was it? This is my first story in two years. Bad? Good? In between? Personally, I thought it this chapter was ok but it could have been better. Please review and tell me what you thought. Oh, but no flames please.


	2. The Lone Mammoth and Crazy Sloth

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age though I wish I did.

Oh… and this chapter is kind of sad. It is funny at times but also a little more sad than originally intended. So be warned though it isn't too bad.

It was a quiet morning, the third since the earthquake had happened. Manny slowly roused himself and looked up just in time to see the early sunrise. But he was not interested in the beauty of the early morning. Something more important was on his mind. He turned and gazed at his mate, grinning slightly. Though the thought of Ellie giving birth worried him, he was proud as any parent would be. His mate was expecting any day now and he felt proud as well as uneasy that he would be a father again. He waited for his mate to wake up.

After only a moment, Ellie woke, yawned and slowly got up. "Morning honey."

Manny walked over to his mate and gave her trunk an affectionate squeeze. "Morning Ellie." he smiled. But right after that the mammoth sighed. "I've been thinking. We've been traveling now for three days and we still haven't found the end of the rock wall that huge earthquake created. And…" he said looking at Ellie's hopeful green eyes. "it doesn't look like we're going to find the end of it anytime soon. We need to find a different way to get across it."

"Manny, isn't it a little too early to be talkin' about this?" his mate asked.

"No. We need to find a way across it as soon as possible. We can't afford to waste anymore time."

Ellie smiled and decided to talk with her mate about it though it was really early and she was will waking up. "Well, we can climb it somehow can we?" she suggest.

"No." Manny replied.

"Well there must be some way we can get across. Maybe it's not as wide in some parts. We could break it apart. They don't call us mammoths for nothin'." she said, yawning for perhaps the third time.

"I don't think so Ellie. It looks really … solid. …. And it goes straight Northwest." Manny said scratching his head with his trunk. "It's too much of a coincidence." He put his trunk down. "As crazy as it sounds it's almost like someone made the cliff on purpose. It's too steep and the fact that it goes in a straight line is just plain unnatural."

"Nature still coulda made it. We saw a real earthquake create it didn't we?" Ellie said, waking up more.

"We did but a have this strange feeling that this was not an act of nature."

"But no one was there besides other animals and we don't have anything that could create such a thing."

The formation of the cliff defied nature and made no sense. He was perplexed. Manny took his head. "I don't know Ellie. I don't know."

The conversation ended after that and soon they began to head out for breakfast, hopefully something decent despite the damage from the earthquake.

They had traveled perhaps a few dozen feet from the area where they had slept before Ellie stopped suddenly and raised her trunk.

"What's wrong?" Manny said instantly, nervous for his pregnant mate. Manny also put his trunk in the air to pick up any sign of danger.

"I smell somethin'. A mammoth. A young one." She replied calmly. Manny smelled it too and judging by the scent, no more than a hundred meters away.

"So, maybe he or she will know where this wall ends. Let's go-" Manny was about to charge forward but Ellie's stopped him.

"Wait!" Ellie shouted holding him back with her trunk. "He's comin' in our direction."

The bull was about to protest but soon a young mammoth appeared but not just any mammoth. He was small, very small. He had tusks like a 15 year old yet he was the size of a mammoth of about 12. He had a huge scar across his right side amongst other scars and a few wounds. He was also noticeably thin. Manny cocked an eyebrow. Perhaps this was a lone survivor from the earthquake. But as he got closer, Manny could see him trembling as his light brown eyes nervously surveyed the landscape as if he expected some big and ferocious predator to attack him any second. Manny thought he must be on the edge of a nervous breakdown from trauma related to the earthquake.

Manfred glanced over at his mate. The look on her face was serious and worried and she stood as still as a stone. "Ellie?" he whispered. She ignored his comment and walked over to the young mammoth calmly and carefully. He was confused by her behavior. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he followed Ellie.

Ellie stopped a short distance from the young mammoth that froze instantly when he saw her. "Hi there. Are you ok honey?" she asked him with a friendly tone to her voice and as unthreateningly as possible.

The thin mammoth swallowed and he looked up and down Manny and Ellie nervously. He stared at them for a moment and then slowly cleared his throat as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. Manny's looked at the young mammoth in dismay as he began to realize how bad a condition he was in. He was covered in scars and had quite a few fresh wounds. His eyes were pale and he seemed very weak.

"Y-yes. I…. lost my herd…" he said looking at the ground. . "…. a long time ago." He finished after a long pause, his voice somewhat raspy.

"I'm sorry to hear that sweety. If you don't mind, would you like to come with us?" Ellie asked as she looked at him and judged by his appearance that he wouldn't last much longer on his own.

He nodded slightly and nearly shuttered when he laid eyes on the bigger, sterner mammoth next to her.

"Don't be afraid honey." She said reassuringly. "That is just my mate Manny. He won't hurt you." she said pointing to the bull beside her. Manny tried to not look as intimidating for a second by smiling slightly when Ellie said his name. "And I'm Ellie." she added.

The young mammoth's eyes widened slightly when the Ellie said her and her mate's names though they quickly lost their look of surprise.

"Hi. I-I'm Samson." he stuttered.

"Hi there Samson." she said in a friendly tone. "It is awfully nice to meet you honey." she said smiling. "My mate and I are tryin' to find the end of this long rock wall. But we can stay here for a while if you need to rest since you're comin' with us. …..Right Manny?" she said casting a serious look at her mate.

"Well. Um…" he said thinking for a moment as Ellie stared at him with an anxious look on her face. "Yeah that's fine." he said suddenly. Almost immediately, Ellie relaxed. "So… uh, we should probably get some breakfast." he said, catching on to his original train of thought. At that the group headed off to search for food with Samson following behind.

Meanwhile, the other group was on the East side of the wall. Diego noted with distaste that they had been traveling with two days with no sign of the wall ending. But on the bright side, food had been plentiful for Diego. Many bodies of animals that did not make it could be easily found though personally, Diego was not fond of carrion.

This morning, Diego had left the others sleeping, as usual to find an animal that hadn't survived the earthquake. In almost no time at all he smelled a dead start, a grey tapir-like animal. Trotting to the area where it lay, he caught the aroma of a female sloth that smelled like wildflowers and judging by the strength of the smell, like she had spent at least a few solid days rolling in a flower patch. The sloth's strong scent made him scrunch his nose and think that she must be the opposite of Sid. But he did his best to ignore it and started eating, that is until the she-sloth made her way out from behind a fallen rock and greeted him with a scowl and her claws on her hips. She came up to him and starred at him menacingly as if she had come to take his meal from him.

"This is mine." Diego growled, baring his teeth and standing over the carcass. Predatory instincts made him want to defend his meal from others even if there was nothing but a sloth standing in his way.

"But don't you think that is rude and barbaric mister? You should be hunting for yourself! You are a predator, not a useless scavenger!" she spat.

"Well if it's that much of your business miss, I could make you my next meal!" Diego hissed, surprised and annoyed at this sloth's way of talking in front of a predator that could easily tear her to bits.

"Oh really pussy!" she shrieked like a creepy aunt. "Hiya!"

Diego didn't see anything coming or what hit him at first. Something slid under him and punched him in the belly, making him wince and nearly roar in pain. Then at lightning fast speed, a claw made it into one of his eyes, blurring his vision and making it red and watery. And just as he was about to bite his attacker, a rock got thrown into his mouth. It happened so fast that he didn't notice it was in his mouth and not the crazy she-sloth. He bit down on the rock with all of his jaw strength, nearly breaking his teeth. He spit it out and a deep pain filled his jaws and face.

He turned around to lash out at the amazingly fast she-sloth only to find himself turning in circles as the sloth yanked at his tail. But he used this to his advantage. He wasn't losing a fight to a sloth of all creatures without a hard and long fight. He allowed her to make him fall over and onto his back, thrusting his hind legs at her with claws fully extended to hit her back. He almost got her but he missed by a hair. She took the opportunity to wheel around Diego as he got up and kick him in the belly once more, sending a sharp pain through his gut. The saber winced slightly but as he got up and stood on all fours, she was right in front of him and it gave him an opportunity to chase her.

He took off at full speed and in his anger, didn't notice when the highly mobile sloth slid under a fallen pine tree which hid a steep incline. Diego was going so fast, he couldn't stop and as he ducked under the log in pursuit of his supposed prey, he found himself falling down head over heels into a crevice with sharp rocks and a bee's nest. He roared in pain as the rocks cut hard and deep into his chest, back, and legs. But he didn't sit it there for long. A swarm of bees chased after him, outraged at him for bumping into a log they had their nest in. Diego ran like the wind despite his wound, up the incline, past the start carcass and several hundred meters more to a river to displace the bees from him. He lay in the water panting, enjoying the soothing water relax his tense body and wash out his fresh wounds. He lay in the cool stream for who knows how long but a sound suddenly interrupted him.

"Ahem!"

Slowly Diego turned his head fearing the worst and he got it when he saw his new nightmare standing on the side of the riverbank.

"I was right! You are useless! Nothing but a useless scavenger like I thought! You can't even take down a sloth!" she said laughing as she crossed her arms. "You are a pitiful excuse for a predator!" Diego would have hissed back a degrading insult if this had been someone else but this wise-cracking female sloth sloth's actions and words dug deep.

Diego slowly walked out of the water, his entire body throbbing. "What is your name missy?" he growled despite feeling pathetic like she had just said.

"Sheba! Sheba Slothenberg!" she yelled assertively with noticeable happiness in her tone. She was clearly conceited and loved her name.

"And who are you to-" Diego began to say in a snarl.

"Shut up saber or I will attack you again!" she yelled, pointing out one of her blunt claws at Diego angrily.

Diego again looked like he wanted to say something and likely degrading.

"Shut your trap scavenger!" she demanded, eyeing some sharp rocks she might throw at him next.

Emitting a low growl from his throat, half to hold back a cry of agony and half to hold back a roar of frustration and rage, he hunched down so his belly touched the ground and laid his ear back as if he was a cornered savage wildcat. He hoped to protect himself if possible. This sloth was beyond rough and deep inside he was furious. He had a strong urge to kill her though at this point he doubted it was possible.

She looked down at the saber now with his ears laid back in fear and body lowered in submission. She grinned at him almost evilly as if she had more in store for him.

"What do you want sloth?" be breathed as he crouched, the pain he was feeling now obviously showing in his voice.

"Hmm. I would like you to-"

Suddenly a nicer and much more pleasant (though annoying) voice cut through the air.

"Diego. What on Earth…" he said looking at Diego's wounds and numerous bee stings. "-happened to you?" he finished. It was Sid. For once Diego was thankful.

"It's like he got mange and then mosquitoes finished him off." Crash half laughed, half scowled because his predatory friend was in pretty bad shape.

"More like he fell of a cliff and into a swarm of bees." Eddie said grinning. Both possums stared at Diego, silently asking for an explanation of what happened.

One of Diego's legs gave way as he tried to stand up fully and he weakly pointed to the sloth. "Sheba... Sheba did it." he said wincing.

"Her?" Eddie said shocked. "She's nothing but a sloth? How could a stupid sloth like that do that to you?" he laughed.

"That's Miss Stupid Sheba Slothenberg to you tree rat!" he yelled taking two steps forward. The reality began to sink in for the possums and Eddie took a step back.

"Don't mess with my brother or you will pay fungus!" Crash yelled, defending his brother.

She glared down at the two possums. "Don't test me or I'll-"

But a familiar lisp cut her off as Sid wined. "But why? Why would you do that to him?" Sid asked pleadingly, who was by Diego's side.

"He scavenged off… a START!" Sheba yelled as if Diego had committed a heinous act.

(A/N: A start is what they seem to call the tapir-like creatures when I read books about the Ice Age movie so that is what I am referring them to say. Just as a heads up…)

"But we eat dead things all the time." Eddie said glaring. "And dung beetles!" he said grinning and thinking about lunch for a second instead of the nasty sloth in front of them.

"But he is a predator, a useless one! He couldn't catch SINGLE thing even if he wanted to!" She smiled conceitedly and crossed her arms again.

"Useless my rear end!" Eddie yelled. "C'mon Crash, let's get Diego out of here."

"Want me to test you?"

"Yes." Sid said interrupting the possums' and Sheba's conversation. "But not unless you explain some things first." Sid said naively.

"Sid!" Crash and Eddie snapped at the same time.

Sid nodded "Oh… right." He turned to Sheba. "Not so nice meeting you oh strange feisty one. Hopefully we will not cross paths on another day."

Diego got up with a groan and limped to Sid. Diego sighed. "For once… I am grateful." But immediately after he had said those words, he scrunched his nose disgusted at what he had just said.

"No problem tigey wigey. You're coming with us." Sid said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, and away from that crazy weirdo!" Crash added giving Sheba the evil eye. Sheba just stared at them and they quickly departed.

Diego limped away with them. Now Sheba was by herself. The sloth crossed her arms. In a huff, she marched off to follow them.

Meanwhile, Samson was in Manny and Ellie's care. After they ate, Ellie helped Samson wash out and patch his wounds with mud and moss as Manny watched.

For some reason, the young bull really seemed to have caught his interest.

"You know. You must have gone through an awful lot to get into the shape you are in."

Samson sighed. "You have no idea." He said as Ellie touched a sore spot on his hide making him wince.

"If it doesn't get me on your bad side by asking, how did this happen to you?"

Samson looked down sadly. "It's a long story." He paused for so long that Manny thought he would say no more but then he started up again. "I lost my herd when humans chased them over a cliff. I fell too… and that's how I got…." Samson fell silent and pointed to his crooked left leg Manny had not noticed before.

"Humans did this to you?" Manny asked shocked, pointing to the scar on the youngster's right side. He thought he already knew the answer though he was about to be corrected.

"No…." The small mammoth said looking down farther. "A rogue male attacked me." he gestured to the wound on his right side. "And well, there was someone after who took care of me… but he is no longer with us." he finished looking down in sorrow.

Ellie's expression melted and a single tear fell down her cheek. She looked at the young bull with great sympathy.

"I…I'm sorry." Manny said at a loss for words of what terrible things the kid must have gone through. Manny took a deep breath and decided to share something he rarely told anyone. "I… I lost my first mate and child to humans." Manfred sighed, though he kept most of his composure.

The young male's eyes widened and he gave Manfred a long, slow nod.

Elle got an overwhelming feeling that the two needed some time alone. "Want me to leave you two for a bit?" Ellie offered, finishing up on Samson's wounds.

"No. We're fine." Manfred answered. "We've… talked long enough. We'll let him rest and then we'll get going for the day."

That morning, somewhere out in the distance among the ruins of the earthquake, a Scrat made his way among some sharp broken rock and into a hollow in a fallen tree he had stashed the winter before the momentous event.

Making his way into the hole, Scrat squeaked and just as he was about to snatch his prize, he discovered he was stuck. He had indeed grown fatter since the winter. He squeaked, squirmed, yelled, yelped, and grunted, trying to make his way to the acorn and get out of the hole but it was no use. The saber tooth squirrel tried to get out until he had no choice but to just sit there and wait to shed a few pounds before he got out.

Perking up after a number of hours of being stuck, he finally got the idea to use his saber teeth to tear into the wound and free himself. Why it hadn't occurred to him before, he didn't know. Squirming and grunting as he worked, he used his saber teeth to make a circle around the wood where he was stuck. With a final heave, he freed himself but a circular slab of wood still was stuck around his body. Ignoring it, he grabbed his acorn now in reach and hugged it longingly. But suddenly a rock fell from a cliff nearby, ripping it from his paws. Scrat squeaked in surprise and lifted the rock to see that it was crushed into pieces too tiny to eat. He sighed in dismay. Then Scrat noticed that the wood around his body was way too tight and highly uncomfortable. He sighed and realized that he would also have to use his now worn teeth to free himself from that. The sun was already low in the sky meaning it was already late afternoon. This was indeed, going to a long day for Scrat…

The second chapter is done! Yay! *does mini sloth dance* Sort of a tearjerker I know. Tell me what you thought! I need reviews for motivation to keep writing.


	3. Straight from the Loony Bin

Disclaimer: I do not Ice Age as you can see. But I do own Samual, Sheba, Sassy, and Samson.

This chapter is a bit heavy on anger and violence but it also doesn't lack on humor for a moment. Just a heads up.

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The sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon, signaling the end of the day. But for the separated parts of the oddball herd, things were just getting started.

Diego was lying down by a stream. He had licked his wounds clean and recovered somewhat since his encounter with Sheba. But his bee stings still hurt and he was convinced that his injuries would make their journey last at least a couple days longer. Diego gave his paws a final lick and gazed over at the possums that were in debate with Sid over how a sloth could beat up a saber. Diego cocked his ears and listened in on a conversation.

"I don't know!" Sid said for possibly the 600th time. "I smelled flowers and then I saw she was by Diego. I swear."

"You're hiding something!" Eddie said suspiciously pointing at Sid. They were half teasing, half serious now.

"I'm not. A sloth's self defenses really aren't that good." he lisped.

"Hmm, maybe she's possessed." He suggested.

"Yeah, possessed by a cave lion!" Eddie added laughing.

"No I swear. There is something very wrong with that woman." The sloth said nervously. "It's like… like… like she got fell into a tar pit and got ultra powers."

"Super powers." Crash corrected.

"Super, ultra, awesome, saber fighting powers!" Eddie said dramatically.

"That's what I said." The possums gave Sid a look.

Diego sighed and got up, tired of their discussion that had turned more into a game than a serious debate. "I'll be off for a little bit guys." the saber said, approaching Sid and the others with a limp.

"Ok but be careful. Sheba has ultra powers. She could be anywhere." Sid warned.

"Right." Diego replied somewhat irritably at the annoying, confused sloth. At least he knew what Sid really meant to say. Sometimes Sid made so little sense with what he said that Diego was not even able to catch on but this was not one of those times.

"Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the sloth bite!" Crash waved as he limped off, showing his teeth. Diego growled under his breath. That sloth had washed away any dignity he had left as a predator living in a crazy herd of herbivores. Soon or later, someone would get Sheba and she would pay big time! That thought lifted the saber's spirits a bit as he walked off.

Diego didn't really know where he was headed tonight, whatever place let him regain some of his self confidence perhaps. He hadn't traveled long when he picked up the faint smell of blood. A dying animal? Curious, he went to check it out. As he slowly stalked closer to the source of the scent, the wind suddenly blew in his direction. To his horror, the wind brought the strong aroma of Sheba and an injured female saber. Squinting through the tall grass, he could see the female saber could barely stand and Sheba was throwing huge rocks at her. The female was a brownish gold, with a beigish white chest and underside and somewhat spiky dark brown fur at the top of her neck. He had to make a decision, leave the odd-colored female to die and rid himself of Sheba once more or attempt to save the female and put himself in harm's way again. Suddenly Sheba bit the saber's back leg as the saber weakly spun around to claw her. Blood flowed from the wound and the female roared in pain. This was just wrong.

Without thinking, he ran out of the bushes and caught Sheba by surprise, successfully swiping her side. Blood ran down the sloth's pelt but both the sabers paid for it. Two large rocks were sent flying at both of them. The female, who Diego noticed now was quite large and muscular, dodged the rock just in time. But Diego got hit in the paw spending sharp pain through his lower leg. As Diego sat there for a second, the sabress glared daggers at both him and Sheba. She took the opportunity to chase the sloth but she fell after only a few paces from her injuries. Sheba was about to take it further and start kicking and punching the female like she had Diego. The male saber limped over to the female and stood over her.

"Enough!" he hissed. "You have beaten us, kicked us, and wounded us! What more do you want or do your crazy and egotistical actions not speak loudly enough?" he snarled.

"Dominance!" she sneered. "I want you two to either show yourselves as worthy predators like there where when I was young or admit that you are worthless, pathetic, idiotic, pee-brained, weak, scared, dirty, rotten, disease ridden, useless SCAVENGERS!" she screamed. Then she began to pant, out of breath from her rave.

Diego realized that she was off-guard when she was talking so again, so he took this as an opportunity to attack the crazy sloth. He aimed for her neck but instead his bite landed in her rump. He withdrew quickly, fearing more abuse.

"Oh you pig-headed, icky, cowardly….!" she screamed on and on in response to the bite, holding her heavily bleeding behind.

"Let's get out of here." Diego whispered to the female saber.

"Sure but I'd love to slice that sloth in half!" she snarled as he helped her up. He helped her walk away as fast as both of them could.

"She's worse than most males… and don't think you can do whatever you want just because you saved me. I'm a feisty, independent girl for your information." her voice rebellious and irritated. Diego nodded though he pulled back a bit because she sounded a bit too much like the sloth. His heart beat fast and he prepared to run in case.

"I see that. More than I realized at first." Diego said a bit nervous, trying to keep his composure. They walked slowly and Diego found himself panting after he talked to her every time.

"I am every bit! The name's Sassy."

"Nice to meet you." Diego lied. "I'm Diego."

"Yes well thank you mister graciousness but I don't any more help from you at this point." She walked a few paces from him and collapsed.

Diego sat down and sighed. "You don't by a chance know any girls I could stay with for the night do you?" she asked.

"No, I don't know of any other female sabers' whereabouts." he said tiredly. "I'm staying with three males." he added though he immediately wished he hadn't.

"You think you're too good for girls I take it. Fine. I'll say with you guys, just to show how self reliant a girl can be." she said, heaving herself up with a groan.

What had he just said? Now this strange female had just invited herself to stay. Diego scrunched up the bridge of his nose. "They're not sabers Sassy." he told her, staring her in the eye. "They are two possums and a sloth. I really don't think-"

"Teaching different male species how great a girl is! Even better!" she shouted enthusiastically.

Diego frowned. "But Sassy. I can't-"

"Oh c'mon!" the female said, now looking at him pleadingly. "Just for one night."

"Fine." he replied sternly. "But _**only**_ tonight." Diego was sure he had lost it. Staying with herbivores, getting attacked by a sloth, and now letting a creepy female stay with them. Maybe the sloth had been right, at least about him anyway. But Diego was strong. Whatever life threw at him, he'd get past it. He just hoped Manny and Ellie were faring better.

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Manny and Ellie had not covered much ground that day with Samson. But Manny was not as irritated about being behind as usual. The kid needed their help. And for some reason, that eased his frustration about the kid causing them to fall behind schedule. Why the small bull had affected him so much, he didn't know but Ellie did. She knew that Samson's herd getting killed by humans automatically made her mate connect with him.

Samson was not able to walk too far without getting winded now that it was evening, a sure sign it was time to stop for the night. The began trio settling down.

Manfred picked a place to spend the night sheltered by fallen trees. Ellie watched her mate as he used his tusks to lift a fallen log out of the way.

"How far do you think it hit?" Ellie asked, looking at all the debris in the distance.

"Hit what?" her male counterpart replied, confused.

"Ya know, how big an area do you think the earthquake affected?"

Manny put down the log and squinted as he looked out into the distance. "Besides the length of the wall, it looks like at least 20 miles beyond it. Beaver Mountain is still out there so unless it was too strong for the tremor to break apart, it didn't go beyond there."

"That's one heck of a big area!" Ellie said emphasizing the word "big".

"It sure it killed quite a few unfortunately." he replied.

Samson gazed up at them nervously from the spot he had already laid down on.

"Oh, there's probably a lot that lived too." Manny said, looking down at the small mammoth. Samson smiled slightly.

Before long Samson left for a drink of water leaving Manny and Ellie alone for a short time.

As soon as she was sure the teen was out of earshot, Ellie fired a question at her mate she had been meaning to ask him.

"So, what do ya think of him being alone and all?"

"Who? Uh Samson? …Well he's not alone now is he?" Manny said confused.

"No. I mean that he was out there hurt with no one to look after him before we took him in. How do you feel about it?" Ellie said, looking into her mate's eyes sadly.

"Like I said, I don't know. We might be able to give him to a herd soon if we find one."

"Well, wouldn't it be a better if he stayed with us for a while until he heals up a bit?"

"If he makes us fall behind, then it isn't." Manny frowned.

Ellie became angry and stamped in front of him. Her expression was angry as well as hurt. "Makes us fall behind? Manny, this is a kid we're talkin' about. A very weak one that needs us. We can't just throw him out there alone again!"

"Well if you're so concerned, why don't you just take care of him yourself!" Manny yelled, growing tired of her nagging.

"Manny!" Ellie yelled exasperatedly. "Because he needs us, both of us. And what, you don't care about someone who went through the same thing as you and worse? I saw it today. You do care for im'. Manny, out of all ways to treat a kid like this, throwing him away is your solution?"

"It will be if you don't stop nagging me about it!" Manny snapped as he took a step forward. "And no, I do not care for him. He is a burden, he is a runt, and I will not let him stall our progress!" he bellowed as his temper peaked. But he knew what he had said was not true. He cared very much for the small mammoth. When he was angry, he said things he did not mean.

But Ellie didn't realize that. "Well, if all you care about is getting places on time, then I have no business here! I'm leavin'!" she snapped.

"Wait, where are you going?" Manny asked suddenly concerned for her as well as what he had said as she began to follow her.

Ellie turned around, her eyes ablaze with anger. "To spend some time with the kid you share so much in common with that you won't even give a chance!" Ellie stormed off in the direction of the teen. That stopped her mate in his tracks.

Manny sighed. He hadn't meant to get her this angry. She had overreacted and her reasoning didn't make sense to him but why was he so hard on her? Immediately after she stormed off, Manfred further regretted his words as a wave of guilt hit him. He shouldn't have acted like that, especially because he felt the same way as her about Samson but was just too gruff to admit it.…

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Manny stood where Ellie and he finished fighting as the chilly evening air brushed past him. A strong feeling of guilt ate at Manfred and he soon became lost in deep thought. But before long a sound caught his attention and brought him back to the present. A loud russling in the bushes. Whatever the creature was quickly (and loudly) came closer. Manfred peered at the bushes as he first saw an antler and then a rather large caribou that the antler belonged to make his way past the undergrowth. The caribou looked like he was past his prime but not terribly old.

"Howdy stranger. What's eatin' at ya?" the caribou asked, addressing the very unhappy mammoth.

Manny looked in the opposite direction, ignoring the caribou's comment.

"I asked, what's eatin' at ya?" the caribou repeated, walking closer.

"Do you **have** to know?" the mammoth replied irritably as he looked down in shame.

"Well if it helps ya. Then yes." he replied optimistically.

Manfred sighed. "I just blew up at my mate and I don't want to do that again. So it would be in your best interest to go away." The mammoth turned away from the caribou, his slow and tired movements conveying his guilt.

"Ok, I'll do that." The caribou said, about to turn away. But suddenly Ellie appeared with Samson walking toward Manfred. Ellie looked unhappy with herself as well as if she had realized her mate's side of the argument that she had tried in a way to force her mate to feel the way she did about their new herd mate.

"It wouldn't hurt if I told her how he felt would it?" the caribou muttered out loud to himself. Acting on pure impulse, he walked up to Ellie and told her about her mate's dilemma.

"Hey there. I am aware that ya and ya mate over there had a fight. But I think him over there (Manny) is havin' a real tough time right about now. I don't know if it was yellin' or what-not but ya two should really talk it out." he suggested.

Ellie nodded. In the time she had left Manny, she had thought the situation over herself and had realized that she was trying to force her husband to admit that he felt the same way about Samson as she did and she shouldn't have even if she knew he felt that way deep inside. "I think you're right. What's your name honey?" she asked, referring to the caribou.

"The name's Samual. Awfully nice meetin' ya gal."

"Nice to meet ya too. I'm Ellie." She looked back over at her husband. "Excuse me but I have something to talk about with Manny for a while."

The she-moth told Samson to leave them for a several minutes while the two mammoths discussed the topic that had started their fight quietly and peacefully. Manny told Ellie how he felt and that he was just too stubborn to admit he felt for Samson. Ellie also pointed out her short-comings. They made up within a matter of a few minutes but the happiness was short lived, at least for Manfred.

"Hey guys, hate to tell ya this but I got separated from my herd when that strange rock wall came up in the earthquake. I reckon they're headin' straight North till' the end. Mind if I stay with ya guys for a till' I can catch up with em'? " the caribou suddenly asked out of the blue.

Manny looked at Ellie unsure of how to say that he thought the caribou was too annoying to come with them but he could tell by the look in Ellie's eyes that she felt differently.

Ellie obviously read Manny's expression as well and urged him to let the caribou stay. "What harm will he cause? It'll only be till' he finds his herd? I'm sure it won't be too long. But if you disagree, I won't argue on it."

"I have to… uh…" Manny looked into Ellie's eyes. He didn't just want to not argue but he felt a sudden urge to please her to make up for their fight earlier. "Well he's annoying and he does seem like he keeps his thoughts to himself…. but… I wouldn't mind if he stays." he said, finished, saying the last part quickly.

Ellie was about to ask if he was sure but Samual cut their conversation off. "So it's settled then! Me and ya guys. We'll make a great team headin' up North. "

Just then, Samson came back. "Are you guys done talking about whatever you needed to?" he asked Ellie cautiously.

"Sure. Get yourself settled. We're done chatting for the night."

Manny was about to go back on what he said when Samual interrupted. "Don't mind if I do. Settlin' in. I'm lovin' it here! Thanks guys!" Samual said happily. He turned in circles in a patch of fallen leaves to make a bed for himself. Samson cast a curious glance in his direction.

"This is Samual." Ellie said gesturing to the strange caribou. "He's gonna be stayin' with us until he finds his herd. It shouldn't be more than a little while."

Manfred sighed. His mate was wrong. It was not going to be a little while before the caribou left. They had a long journey ahead of them and it had just been made for frustrating with the addition of the caribou. This was going to be quite a long journey indeed.

That same evening, Scrat was making his way among fallen trees looking for another acorn he had stored the previous winter. He finally had gotten the wood slab off his body which made him happy but the fact that he had not gotten to eat a single acorn that day made him extra anxious and jittery.

---------------------------------------------

Scrat sniffed for his treasure eagerly. It couldn't be too far away now. Scurrying along some barren ground, he finally located his acorn. Scrat squeaked in delight. He dug a hole with his saber teeth until he reached the nut. He put his paws in to yank the out his prize but then something bit him. He screamed when he realized when something with sharp teeth had clamped its jaw shut on his paw. Scrat squeaked and desperately tried to pull away. After a few minutes he succeeded but when he reached his uninjured paw into the hole, the acorn was gone. Scrat drew back and squeaked in surprise. A mole suddenly appeared from the hole with the acorn giggling. It nibbled on the acorn to bits before the stunned Scrat could reach it. "Na na!" it said, laughing and disappearing into the hole. Scrat grunted and made a fist but there was nothing he could do to get his acorn back. He slumped down and sighed. He would have to accept defeat. The sun had almost disappeared past the horizon. Perhaps, he would get his hands on an acorn another day.

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Wow that was a long chapter (actually not). But Manny and Ellie's fight was especially hard to work out with the dialogue I had to get across. It took me hours but it was worth it.

That aside, what did you guys think of it? I thought it came out pretty good, especially for what I came up with as far as dialogue is concerned. Please review and tell me what you thought!


	4. Resistance and Persistence

Disclaimer: As you know I do not own Ice Age.

This chapter contains some suggestive language but other than that, it's pretty mild. Enjoy!

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It was a clear, bright morning. The sun's rays bounced off the animal's coats giving them an odd shine as they absorbed the heat. Diego yawned widely. He had a feeling it would be a better day and he noted that his injuries were beginning to heal. The saber stretched, taking in all of the new day's radiance he could.

Diego slowly lifted his nose to sniff the air. But something was not quite right. He did not smell Sid anywhere. Last night, when he had introduced Sassy to the rest he had been missing. Crash had told the saber that Sid was sleeping with a lady friend of his for the night but with the annoying sloth's reputation, that seemed highly unlikely. Diego shook his head. He was sure it had gone badly. The saber reluctantly lay down again and waited for his friend's return.

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Yawning, Sid waddled along slowly and clumsily through the forest to his herd. He had failed to find a mate again. The night at the female sloth's place had gone horribly wrong and he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever find anyone who liked him. Sid looked down sadly but something new caught his eye. A female saber was sleeping near the area where Diego and the possums were. He rushed to the female's side, any worries forgotten.

"Hello." Sid said eyeing her with a goofy grin on his face. "What do we have here?" he said to himself as he stepped closer to her. She had her one of her paws on her face as she slept so Sid could not get a good look at her. With a grunt, Sid lifted her paw (with her leg) up but it was too heavy for the sloth to hold up for long. It dropped out of the sloth's paws with a thud.

"Boy, I never thought their legs were so heavy." he panted. But when Sid let go of her leg, the saber, Sassy, began to wake up. She shifted slightly and she sniffed the morning air through half lidded eyes.

"Darn. Is it morning already-" She stopped talking and stood up abruptly, nostrils flaring. She had caught the pungent aroma of Sid. She was about to walk over to him to say how awful he smelled but suddenly her eyes closed for a moment. Her mind filled with feelings of romance and lust as she went into a strange statet.

"Yep. It is morning." Sid replied, picking at the claws on his hind feet. He was oblivious to the transformation that had take place in Sassy or really who he was talking to.

"Morning is sooo the right time." Sassy replied in a seductive voice as her trance took full effect earning her a wary glance from the sloth. Sid turned around to see who the strange voice belonged to.

"Oh, it's you. I thought you were still sleeping." he said hesitantly.

"No, I'm just beginning my luxurious stroll of love." The saber said in a hypnotic tone "The name's Sassy!" she said grinning.

"Uh hi. I'm Sid." the sloth answered nervously and taken aback by the saber's strange behavior. But his feeling of discomfort didn't last for long. A marvelous idea popped into his head. "You know. I could go on that stroll with you… the stroll of love… if there's gonna be any female sloths there."

Sassy smiled as she rubbed against Sid who bit his lip in discomfort. "Ohhhh. I'd love to take you on and stroll and-"

"Sid!" shouted Diego from behind a bush where he had slept. He had found Sid this morning alright. He had already heard some strange voice accompanied by Sid's and he wondered what in the world was going on. He feared the voice he had just listened ti was from the female sloth Sid had supposedly spent the night with. If that was the case, he needed to get between her and Sid and break them up FAST!

"What are you doing?" he asked his friend as he walked into view. But his question was soon answered. Someone was certainly doing something and it was not Sid. Sassy was circling Sid with hypnotizing eyes and a seductive smile as she ushered random nonsense to Sid about love.

Diego went around and tapped Sassy on the shoulder hoping she hadn't completely lost it. "Sassy, what the heck are you up to? Did Sid talk you into doing this?" he asked her, clearly irritated.

But instead of giving him an answer that made sense, she addressed Diego in the same way she had addressed Sid. "You are sooo the one I wanna just bed down and do it with you right now!" she said dramatically as she rubbed against him. Diego stood there in disgust as he thought about what to do next and make Sassy stop acting so inappropriately. The male saber sighed. He had come up with something but it was extremely embarrassing for him to say in public. Diego took a deep breath and tried it. "Can you leave Sid and I _alone_ for a bit?" he asked the crazy sabress, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"Sure. I'll be back in a few and then we'll sooo do it and be ma-" Sassy walked away as she ushered these last words but it was to a fallen tree, not Diego. She was cut off by two familiar screams. Apparently Sassy had said this to the two possums, Crash and Eddie.

"Who _are _you?" Eddie said, looking up at Sassy who had just scared the living daylights out of him with her wake-up call.

"It's Sassy bro. I think she's lost it." Crash answered looking at her seductive grin and eyes that were a bit hazy. Crash examined her from head to toe. She still had quite a few wounds and bruises from Sheba and she should have theoretically still been weak from blood loss but she didn't seem it in the least nor did she seem to be in pain. "Hey bro! I think whatever happened to her makes her immune to injury or something. Look at the size of the wound one her leg. She's not even crouching down the slightest in pain!"

They suddenly heard a voice from the thicket they were in. "Crash! Eddie!"

The twins ran up to the irritated male saber. "Yeah... what?" Eddie asked.

"Or is it about how Sassy went totally berserk?" Crash asked.

Diego disregarded the Crash's comment. "Listen, something happened to Sassy overnight and I don't know what but she is acting very strange. And by the looks of it, she seems to want to follow us. So we'd better get out of here while she's distracted." The saber pointed to Sassy who was rubbing against a flower and muttering nonsense. "Let's go."

The possums nodded and left the female as Diego and Sid did.

But they weren't traveling for long before Sid spoke up.

"You know Diego. I think you really like Sassy."

"I don't. She has some kind of mental problem." Diego said, barely turning to answer the sloth.

"But I think you two would make a really good couple. Maybe if you spend more time around her, you'll realize she's the type of person you like."

The possums snickered.

"She's last kind of person I'd like! Diego snapped. He couldn't believe what the Sid was saying. "Do you have any idea what she was suggesting when she was talking to you?" Diego growled, turning his head away.

Sid looked like he wanted to reply to Diego's last sentence. He opened his mouth to blurt something out but the saber cut him off.

"On second thought, don't answer that. I don't need anymore talk about that."

"But she definitely likes you." Sid lisped.

"Yeah, she likes me alright. She likes you for crying out loud! That's one of the reasons I think she has gone crazy."

Sid sighed. "If you say so tiger."

But their conversation about Sassy didn't end there. It went on and on with Sid becoming increasingly annoying. Before long, Diego was in a nasty mood.

Not much later, a brown blur bolted in front of them. "You gotta help me! And get that sloth away from me before it happens again!" It was Sassy and she looked terrified. She was also covering her nose for some strange reason.

Immediately, Diego thought she was up to something. He was exasperated by Sid's pestering causing him to have a short fuse. "Look. I've had enough of your crazy love talk and suggestive actions!" Diego snapped. "I told you that you could stay one night and that's it! You created a scene this morning and I've had enough of it! Now get lost!" Diego yelled, looking at her as well as Sid to prove his point that he wanted nothing to do with her.

"No. I mean Sid. Get me away from him please!" she cried, eyes wide in fear. "For some reason his scent makes me go into a trance. I was born with them and I never know what will set them off but it makes me want a romantic relationship with everything I see! I didn't mean to act like that. It's like I have two different personalities." she explained. "Just quickly get Sid away and hide me! I don't care if it's guys that are helping me. Sheba is coming!" Sassy spoke at lightning fast speed. It was hard for Diego to figure out what she was saying but he noted something was wrong other than what was going on earlier. She looked very weak and blood pulsated from her right leg which had a bite wound in the shape of a sloth's tooth.

Diego's jaw dropped when he saw Sheba running toward them at a speed he thought a creature like that was not capable of. "Quick this way!" Diego yelled. He ran with Sassy away from the deranged female sloth. The followed possums behind as fast as they could. But for some reason Sid didn't follow, leaving Diego worried they had left him with Sheba.

The sabers stopped when they got to a depression in the ground hidden by fallen trees. Diego stood there panting and Sassy struggled to sit up upright with the wounds Sheba had given her. The two waited to catch their breath for a moment.

Once Sassy's leg and had stopped bleeding, Diego spoke up. "So let me get this straight. Sid makes you act like that?" Diego asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes!" she practically yelled. "Sid's scent is so pungent and I hate it but it makes me go into a weird state. I wouldn't be having anything to do with males normally but at this point, I don't care if I think you guys are inferior or not. That sloth is out to get me and she's not gonna stop until I either prove to her that I'm a predator or she kills me!" she said panting, her eyes conveying how desperate she was.

Diego took a deep breath. "Ok, tell me about it."

Sassy explained everything to Diego at a rate he could understand as she calmed down. She told Diego that Sheba was planning on killing him too if he didn't prove he was worthy predator. The sabress also told him just how intent Sheba was on getting both of them. The only way to Sheba ooff their backs was to kill three herds of mastodons.

At this point Diego realized how much of a predicament Sheba had put both sabers in. They could not fight or talk their way out. And if they ran away, Sheba was sure to follow them.

"Ok." Diego finally said after a long silence. "You can stay with us until we find a way to get rid of Sheba. But you say Sid makes you go into these trances? What should I do with him?"

Sassy sighed and thought for a moment. "Well…I know of a bitter herb that will block out my smell if I eat it often enough. It will work, even to block out the smell of your stinky sloth friend." She said scrunching up her nose in disgust. "But without my sense of smell, I am much more vulnerable." she continued. "Personally, I do not think much of opposite gender than they are good to sleep with. But if it's my life we are talking about, I am willing to live with you males even if it means giving up my dignity. That sloth is dangerous and will try to get what she wants out of me with any means." She said assertively. "But don't expect me not to complain. Sure it was my idea to get help from you guys and you were kind enough to let me stay but be warned, I think very lowly of males. You guys are brutes and I will not tolerate any one of you in the slightest taking advantage of me like males are famous for doing. I am still who I was when you guys first laid eyes on me. I am a fiercely independent girl with the exception that I will be with you guys until I can get rid of our _problem_. Don't expect much from me but I will try my best to tolerate you." She glared at all three males as she spoke in a serious and defiant tone.

"Ok. But I expect you at least try to be nice. I don't want anymore trouble from you other than what you've already caused." Diego said turning away as Sassy began to lick her wounds. The female looked like she wanted to shout an insult but restrained herself. Even though she considered him inferior, he was doing her a huge favor so she decided to keep quiet and to try to behave.

-----------------------------

Meanwhile, Sid and Sheba were trying to settle the same conflict. Sid watched as Sassy, Diego, and the possums quickly departed.

"Hey wait for me!" he yelled. He tried to follow after them but someone put her foot in the way and the clumsy sloth tripped over it. "Ow!" he shouted. Sid landed on the ground a loud thud.

The male sloth dusted himself off. Sid looked over to where he fell. Sheba stood in exactly the same spot as where Sid tripped with her arms crossed and a smug expression on her face. She had done it.

Sid looked over at the Sheba. "Why'd you do that?"

"Serves you and your lousy friends right you clumsy rat!"

"No, I mean why are you after my friends?" Sid asked.

"Because you are flea bitten, stinky, mangy…" Sheba was getting herself in a huff as she replied to Sid. She went on and on as she called Sid and his friends names. Pretty soon Sid was saying her name to try to get her to snap out of it. Finally Sid lost his patience.

"Sheba!" he screamed, stopping Sheba's rave. Sheba looked at him with a frown but he had obviously gotten her attention. Sid looked at her fearfully. "Why are you so determined to hurt me and my friends? We've done nothing to you a-and we don't even want to hurt you." he asked, beginning to get nervous. The female was making fists now and it looked like she was about to continue her rant. But Sid was oblivious and continued talking. "And I know you think that Diego needs to be more of a predator but do you want to hurt him? I mean there's gotta be a better hobby right?" Sid said, grinning with the last sentence he said..

Sheba took a deep breath. "Because they are worthless rotten, lazy, stupid scavengers… and you travel with them!" Sheba shrieked in Sid's face so loud that he thought his eardrums would explode.

Sid swallowed and tried to keep his composure. "I know you think that. I-I mean I would agree." Sid said half grinning as he tried to reason with her. "Diego has gone soft. But isn't there a way besides violence to make them prove their point? I mean… all Diego was doing when you first attacked him was eating an animal that was already dead. And the female, why her? She looked like a pretty serious hunter before she fell in love with me this morning. But they could have hunted you instead. That's gotta be better than killing innocent animals right?"

"I'll kill you all then. There's no way better! No way better than _**violence**_ to show you pathetic creatures!" she shrieked again in Sid's ear. Sid shuttered. He was beginning to realize she was dead serious.

"Now you listen to me or I'll-"

Sid swallowed and muster up enough courage to confront her again. "No, no you listen to ME!" Sid interrupted, pointing a claw at her chest with the most intimidating look on his face he could muster. "These are my friends! Sure they always complain that I'm slow and clumsy …and maybe I am but they accept me for it! Have you ever had someone that was your friend Sheba? Someone to look out for you and comfort you when you needed it? I bet you never have!" Sid whimpered as he began to get upset. "You've never had a friend and you take it out on innocent creatures. You don't care for anyone and hurt people just because you feel like it! You are pathetic Sheba!" he yelled as he shook with anger. Sid immediately covered his mouth, shocked at his sudden bout of anger.

He feared she would give him the worst foe what he said but instead the female sloth put a claw on her chin thinking. "Well ratball, I might be pathetic but there's no way, No WAY to make those sabers prove that they're predators other than fighting them!"

Sid took a breath to calm down. "Please, there's gotta be a better solution. One that doesn't involve hurt. You should-"

"Fine." Sheba interrupted. "You've argued with me enough. I will think of a better plan to get them to show me who they really are." The female said assertively, recrossing her arms.

"Nooooo!" Sid screamed dramactically. "Wait you will?"

"I will. I have just thought of a far better plan. I will leave you guys alone if you allow me to travel with you all until you reach the end of that rock wall."

Sid was shocked. "Really? Nothing else? No hurting or beating or-"

"None of that!" Sheba yelled silencing him. "Unless…. unless once you guys decline my plan. Or you are stupid enough to try to leave me behind." she said playing with her claws. Her voice was dangerously low and had an evil, manipulative tone to it.

"And if we agree, you will-"

"Not hurt you on our trip. Or… harass you afterwards. …And I expect the same from you." Sheba said, pointing a claw at Sid's chest.

Sid smiled. "Deal? Let's shake on it." He held out his paw for her to shake but she put her hands behind her back and glared at him. "Ok, I guess you're like Manny. He doesn't like to do that either."

"Pitiful." Sheba muttered under her breath.

She pointed in the direction Diego and Sassy had gone. "Now we will track your friends to their little hideout. It will be your job to explain my plan to them." she said sternly. "And if they don't let me join, you all will be in for it!" the sloth yelled. "Now let's get a move on."

Sid gulped and followed, praying that she wouldn't change her mind.

------------------------------------

Diego and Sassy were waiting impatiently for Sid to return. Diego was tapping a claw on the ground and Sassy was lying down. She was resting due to her injuries but at the same time she was bored. Sassy had already eaten more than enough of the herbs that blocked out her sense of smell to keep her trances from coming when Sid was around. The possums were laying on their backs, half dozing.

Diego sighed. "If he takes much longer, I'm going to look for him." Sassy nodded and lay her head down, tired and bored.

But suddenly they heard a familiar lisping voice. "I'm back and Sheba is here!"

"What?" the two saber-tooth tigers and possums shouted in unison. Diego jumped up, ready for an attack and Sassy struggled to get to her feet.

"How could you?" Eddie cried as he got up and hid behind Crash.

"Don't worry." Sid said happily.

Sheba walked into view. "That's right. I have a plan."

"A plan to kill us? I don't think so missy!" Diego growled as he tensed his muscles and bared his teeth. He was ready to fight or run, whichever meant less abuse from the sloth.

"No. That plan is long gone." Sheba dismissed it with a wave of her paw. Diego glanced at Sassy nervously. "I have a _far_ better plan. One that your illegitimate side-kick helped me come up with."

Diego's jaw dropped open. "Sid?!"

"That's right. One that involves no fighting _**if**_ you do what I say." the female sloth said petulantly.

The saber's eyes narrowed. Any faith in her plan had just been washed away. She was definitely hiding something. "And what is that or do I already know?" he growled.

"No. You will let me travel with you until you reach the end of the wall from that massive earthquake. And that's it." The female sloth said refolding her arms in an egotistical manner.

This was a lie if Diego had ever seen one. "You're hiding something!" he half yelled, half growled.

"Wait Diego." Sid said rushing over to Diego. "She means it. I told her how she was wrong and I think that changed her for the better."

"She was lying Sid!" Diego said angrily.

"No. I mean sure she said it kind of evilly but she swore she wouldn't hurt us as long as we let her travel with us and didn't fight her."

The saber didn't buy a word either sloth said. Diego bared his teeth in to Sheba who made fists in preparation for a fight.

The two were about to battle each other. But then a rebellious voice cut through the air, stopping them. "But what choice do we have?" It was Sassy. She groaned and slowly sat up. She cast a glare at the males. "If you try to pick a fight with her now, she'll finish us off. That means back down mister brawn!" she snapped at Diego. The male saber slowly drew back.

"But if we all took her on together, maybe we could take her down." Eddie suggested.

"Stop plotting in front of me will you? I know perfectly how you plan to kill me. You're practically setting the trap as you for yourselves as you discuss it amongst yourselves with me here." Sheba laughed. "But since I'm _tolerating_ you idiots, I'll let you sit hot in debate for a while, just to see crazy your ideas for exterminating me are." she said picking at her claws as sly grin made its way onto her face. She was obviously relaxing and getting pleasure from watching them get angry and irritated as they tried to figure out a way to get rid of her.

Diego suddenly jumped in front of Sheba, pressing his sabers against her windpipe. "You wanna test us lunatic!" he roared.

"No, but I'd like to test you." Sheba grabbed hold of one of Diego's sabers and jerked his head painfully to the side.

"Just listen to her you stubborn sissy!" Sassy snapped, getting up on all four legs. "This is why I don't like males! You don't know when to get into a scrap and when to back down. You wanna get us all killed Diego? Go ahead." she said, flashing her fangs at him.

Diego winced as he pulled himself out of Sheba's grasp. "Fine! We will go with her plan. But it is your fault if you get us all killed!" he yelled back at the hot-tongued female.

"More like your fault for starting the fight in the first place." Sassy shouted, turning away with her head raised defiantly.

"My fault? Sheba started it by coming here in the first place!" he yelled back at her.

"GUUUYS PPLLLEEEAASE STTTOOOPP!" Sid screamed at the top of his lungs, quieting the pair. "You are so loud you're making my ears hurt." He said simply as if that was why he yelled so loud. Sid rubbed the part of his head where his ears would be if they were visible. The sabers both glared at the sloth.

"Yeah, just stop arguing already!" Crash added "That sloth is made of steel and there's nothing we can do to get rid of her… at least you sabers anyway." Crash said sternly.

"I second that bro." Eddie agreed.

"Ok!" Diego snarled. "She stays until we find the rest. That means no if's, and's or butt's, myself included. Now let's get on with our trip before this deranged sloth changes her mind!" Diego limped out of their hiding spot, growling slightly as he waited for the rest to follow him. Sassy would surely slow things down with her injuries. He was not looking forward this.

------------------------------

So, whatyathink? I didn't have Scrat in this because this chapter was already so long. …In fact, it was going to be twice this length but I decided to split it in two. The other half of it will be in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you liked it.

R & R please.


	5. A Mammoth with a Secret

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age. But I would like to. *hint hint*

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Scrat had been on the same trail for hours. He was not after a single nut, but a whole stash of them carried by one of most unlikely acorn stealing animals. A mammoth from a group of three was carrying acorns in her trunk.

If it was any other animal he had been trying to retrieve the acorn from, any at all, he would have tried to retrieve it by now. But as much as he desired the acorns from the mammoth, he could not reach them. He already had tried to reason with the bunch but all he got was a mixture of blank stares and laughs. Scrat would have to wait for the enormous creature to empty her trunk but it seemed the squirrel would have to follow her all day to get what he wished out of her.

Scrat took a position behind them, squeaking and chirping in impatience.

Eventually, a chestnut male from the group turned his head. "Did you hear something?" he inquired to the others.

"I do right now Basil. A squirrel is following us." the leader replied, trying his hardest to keep the humor out of his voice. His name was Len. He was a 16 year old dull brown male with deep hazel eyes. His friends knew him for his wisdom, patience, and foresight, and also a very deep secret he had.

Basil nodded. He cast a grin over to Len. He was smaller than his leader with a somewhat light build.

Basil's larger counterpart grinned but kept quiet. But the silence didn't last for long.

"A squirrel? Did you go nuts?" the female from the group with acorns in her trunk asked, laughing. She was a light gray mammoth with inquisitive brown eyes and a bubbly personality.

"We didn't. Take a look behind you." Len said in a monotone though the others could tell he was laughing inside.

Talia peered behind her and sure enough a squirrel was trudging after them making a squeak with each step. "I guess he's still after us. Remember when he ran up to us earlier and started grunting like an idiot!"

"I remember. Maybe you should give him a few of those nuts." Len suggested.

"No way!" Talia exclaimed, giggling.

"I told you shouldn't have picked up that pile of acorns you found." Basil rolled his eyes. "Your mom won't care that you brought her a present on her birthday Talia. We've lost the herd. She'll be happier to see you safe than a bunch of nuts after that huge tremor. Give him back the nuts already!" Basil grasped the female's trunk in an attempt to make her drop the acorns.

"No! I'm giving my mom this birthday present no matter what!" Talia shouted, playfully pulling her trunk away from Basil.

"Fine. Be that way. But that squirrel's gonna be after us for the rest of the day because of you."

"Talia, Basil, I smell a group up ahead." Len stated, interrupting his friends' playful argument. "Samson is with them." The older bull stated as he gazed ahead.

"Samson?" Basil and Talia shouted in unison.

"But I thought he was dead?" Basil said frowning.

The group exchanged curious glances and walked ahead to investigate.

Basil narrowed his eyes as they came closer. Whatever group Samson was with was also on the move. Gazing ahead, Basil took note of who his small friend was traveling with: a stocky brown male mammoth, a light colored pregnant female mammoth, and … a caribou?

As they inched closer to get a better view, Talia accidently stepped on and crushed a fallen log. Instantly, four sets of eyes and ears turned to face them. The large male of the group stepped forward. Len did the same.

"Sorry to bother you." Len started. "But we lost our herds during the earthquake four days back. Have you seen any mammoth herds by any chance? "

"No." the large male answered.

"_Ask them if they've seen Crash and Eddie_!" Basil heard the female mammoth whisper as loudly as she could to him.

The darker male sighed. "And by any chance, have you run into a… uh… saber tooth tiger, a sloth, and two possums?"

Len shook his head but his eyes lit up and so did Basil's. This was a member of the strange herd they had heard so many rumors about.

"So you're Manfred?" Basil asked boldly.

The bulls' eyes narrowed. "Yes and you might be?" He looked at the three, his eyes scanning the three young pachyderms from head to toe.

"Talia, Len, and Basil!" Talia blurted out. "We're Samson's friends."

"Samson?" Manny said confused as he looked back to the thin mammoth they were referring to.

But before they had a chance to converse more about it, Manfred's mate took a step forward. "So, is Samson from your herd?" she asked them with a bit of uncertainty.

"No. But we met him last winter. After he left, we thought was killed by a pack of dire wolves." Len explained. He looked over Samson. His wound on his right side had healed up nicely but he bore fresh wounds-which someone had covered over with moss- and was even thinner than the previous year.

"Hi." Samson said quietly to his friends hoping not to interrupt the main conversation. Basil and Talia smiled slightly.

Over the mini conversation, Len and the others continued talking. "We just found im' yesterday and took him in. I'm Ellie." The light chestnut female looked them over like Manfred had done. "Where are ya from?"

"The Green Mountain, Conifer River, and Palm herds. We were separated from them during the earthquake. We are hoping to find them further North." Len answered.

----------------------------

Meanwhile, Scrat had snuck up behind Talia, hoping to steal the acorns from her. But he caught the eye of Samual. The caribou had lost focus on the mammoths' long conversation and it diverted to the squirrely creature in front of him instead.

Scrat was tip-toeing behind her and trying his best not to squeak.

"Hey there ya lil' critter!" Samual said loudly. Talia turned around and giggled. Scrat groaned. Now the caribou had caught Talia's attention and he was one step further from his precious nuts she was carrying!

The squirrel made a fist and scurried away. He would get his acorns from the crazy strange she-moth sooner or later.

---------------------------

Manny rolled his eyes when Len told him the group he was with had lost their herds. "And I don't suppose you want to travel with us?" he said through narrowed eyes.

"No. I have no right to do so." Len said looking at the ground guiltily. He remembered the previous winter and what his friends had found out more about him and Manny's family. Len sighed. It was for their best interest not to tell them now, only to hint at it. "I have a secret. But I cannot tell you now. When I feel the time is right, I will tell you." Len looked at the ground, not letting Manny see that his eyes that conveyed deep sorrow.

Manny quirked an eyebrow. "A secret… about what?"

Samson suddenly blurted out to the rest. "Well… Um I'm not sure if-"

"Sssh." Basil said softly as he came up to the smaller bull. "He will find out in time."

"I cannot tell you now. But I also feel like I do no have the right to travel with you." Len repeated, raising his head slightly.

"Why not travel with us?" Ellie asked curiously. "If you need to talk to Manny, go ahead. I'm fine with you guys travelin' with us."

"I have a funny feeling." Her mate shifted nervously. "It doesn't present any emanate danger to us does it?" he asked Len suspiciously

Len shook his head. Manny heaved a sigh and walked up to Ellie. "Fine, they can travel with us but I am allowing no one else to join us. It feels like this is turning into a big herd here."

"Can we come with them?" Talia asked Len as if Manny's ok was not enough. Her eyes were bright with interest and eagerness anticipation. Basil looked between Len and Manfred.

"We can. But only because we were given permission." Len said with a sigh. "Now that I've seen Manny after all this time, it is my duty to tell him." Len locked eyes with his friends. But the deep conversation was cut short.

Just then Scrat rushed out of the bushes, this time with a pawful of flowers.

"Whatya doin' now lil' critter? Samual asked, once more gaining Talia's focus as she turned to laugh. Scrat glared at the loony caribou ruining his mission yet again. The squirrel made a mad dash up to Talia, squeaking and panting all the way. Before she knew it, Scrat had stuffed the flowers up her trunk.

Manny and Ellie took a step back and exchanged awkward glances as if sensing something was about to happen.

The inside of the young female's trunk was intensely itchy. "Aw. Aw Achoooo!"

Talia stumbled forward as she let loose an explosive sneeze that echoed off the hilltops. Scrat, Manny, and Samual got soaked in mucus as a result. One acorn fell by Scrat's side but to his horror, the rest were shot into a tar pit on a hill when the mammoth sneezed. There was no hope of getting them back since were now engulfed in formidable, hot sticky goo. The squirrel screamed in shock. Sniffing about, he quickly found the acorn by him. He hugged it and nuzzled it tenderly, that is until Talia grabbed it with her trunk and crushed it.

"You little sucker!" she yelled. Talia grabbed Scrat as the others cautiously walked over to her.

"What was that all about?" Manny growled. He took himself in an attempt remove the sticky and obnoxious slime from his fur. Samson and Ellie grinned but hit their smiles with their trunks.

"He did it." Talia exclaimed, gesturing to the squirrel in her trunk accusingly. "He stuck flowers up my nose to make me sneeze!"

Manfred scoffed. "Likely story." he said rolling his eyes sarcastically. "Now tell me what in the world-"

But a family voice cut the bull off. "That lil' squirrely guy did it. This gal ain't lying. I saw with the flowers myself." The caribou pointed a hoof at Talia.

Basil rolled his eyes. "I saw him do it. He dashed over to her and stuffed them in her nose."

"Fine. Since there are so many witnesses, we'll go with that it was the squirrel's fault." Manfred yelled as his temper flared. The bull slowly turned around. "We need to get this junk off ourselves. We're heading to the nearest waterhole to wash." The rest peered at Talia and started off after the angry bull.

The female peered at Scrat who was still in her grasp. "You're coming with us little crazy dude!" Talia said in an annoyed but jovial manner. She gave Scrat a squeeze causing him to squeak in complaint. He yelled and barked insults to her in his own language but it did the wacky squirrel no use. Talia just grinned with pleasure as she heard an outflow of indistinguishable squeaks.

Len watched them take off. He had been quiet, lost in thought the entire time since Scrat had showed up. He would have to tell Manny soon. Like he had voiced to the others, it was his duty. The young bull could only guess what Manny's reaction would be when he told him his secret and what how his family was involved. Now his journey was officially beginning. And a possibility lay with it that he could finally put his intense guilt to rest after 16 years. Slowly he followed the rest as an overwhelming feeling of dread looming over him.

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I felt you with a cliffhanger I know. We will find out Len's secret soon enough.


	6. The River and the Dam

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age. Did I say that already?

I'm sorry for the longer wait than usual. I got involved in a bunch of other things and sort of got sidetracked.

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The sun had risen over the horizon but the herd was already on the move. The group, now consisting of six mammoths and a caribou didn't care that it was the crack of dawn when they set out; they had places to go. Or rather the stubborn leader of the herd, Manny, wanted to get a head start.

Manny took the lead as he usual. The rest of the herd followed in single-file, aside from two in the rear of the group.

Basil sighed for perhaps the fifth time in the half hour. "Samual. Can't you at least be quiet for a few minutes? It's not that I don't like conversation but please, stop talking already!" he shouted. He and Samual were in back. Basil considered himself the "unlucky" one being stuck with the loony caribou. If the Samual's rambling wasn't annoying enough, the fact that he was going on and on about Basil having problems was even worse!

The caribou continued oblivious to the discomfort he was causing the mammoth. "Well ya are a stubborn one. I'll say! Ya definitely need some therapy. There's lots of types kid and I think ya need all of em'. Ya could try-"

"No! You're the one that needs the therapy!" Basil yelled back at him, upset and annoyed.

"Isn't there someone else who wouldn't mind being stuck back here? This caribou's driving me crazy!" he shouted up front. Basil knew Manny wanted to be as far away from Samual as possible when they were traveling but why had he out of everyone gotten picked to travel in back? It was just plain unfair.

"I said you are traveling in back so that's where you stay." Manny called back gruffly over his shoulder. Ellie gave him a questionable glance.

"They can take turns can't they?" the she-moth asked her mate.

But before the bull could answer, Talia interrupted him. She spoke at an amazingly fast pace. "I just wanted thank you so much for letting us travel with you. It is an honor and asking anything more of you would be just too much. Even a favor… I mean if any of us asked you a favor, it wouldn't be right. Yeah it would be too much to ask. I just wanted to thank you and that we won't ask anything of you." The young cow's roundabout sentences that sounded more like one long one than several of them to Manny. He quirked an eyebrow at her and took a moment to let himself figure out what she had just said.

When his brain finally caught up with what Talia's strange statement, he muttered a distant, "You're welcome." back to her. Where the cow's gush of words had come from still didn't make sense.

Perhaps a mini-second after Talia and Manny's conversation had ended, Samual continued his tirade. "Now, as I was sayin', ya should stop actin' up so much and take other animals' advice. It ain't that hard and I can help ya. Ya have a lot of issues kid but that doesn't mean I can't help. "

Anger flooded Basil's veins. He wanted to ask Manny to go up front again but if he did that now, there was a chance he would be questioned about it. Since Talia informed Manny and Ellie that Basil and the others would not be asking favors of while they were traveling with them, he would feel awkward asking. Basil would have more than a bone to pick with his Talia later. But Basil's thoughts were halted when Ellie and Manny abruptly stopped up front. The bull's ears picked up the sound of fast, rushing water. There were rapids up just ahead blocked by some trees.

Manfred immediately started to turn back. "There's a raging river right past that patch of forest." he informed the rest. "We're going to go around and-" But he was stopped short when Ellie grabbed his tusk with her trunk.

"Manny, just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't cross it. C'mon, I'm sure it ain't too bad. We can just go through the shallows." she suggested to him gently.

"I-I'm not sure if I can handle it either." Samson said gazing at the two nervously. He was in rough shape. The last thing he needed was to get battered against rocks in icy cold water.

"This river stretches many miles." Len said cutting into the conversation. "The closer we go to the rock wall, the deeper the river will go. The wall will have halted its flow so it turns into a lake. But if we cross it where this river ends and it forms a lake, the current will not be as strong. However, the water will be a lot deeper and we will have quite a swim ahead of us."

"How do you know?" Manfred asked, not completely following the complex bit of information Len had just given him.

"Simple logic." was Len's reply. But inside, the mammoth knew where he had learned to figure out things like this. It was not common sense, he had been taught about the ways of the land and the way lakes could form from rivers many years ago. But he couldn't tell Manny his secret, _**not**_ now. Len was about to elaborate on his last statement but Ellie interrupted him before he had a chance.

"I have an idea! We could cross where the current is least strong. Even if I don't like it, maybe you can guide me along to help me cross."

"That is a good idea Ellie." Manny said, finally agreeing with his mate. He took a particular liking to the fact that Ellie had offered for his help. Manfred glanced at the others to see what they thought of the idea.

The rest nodded apart from Samson who grimaced and Len who seemed indifferent. "Don't worry. I will be there to help you." Len told Samson.

The herd approached the rapids but it looked surprisingly calm. The water ran slowly and there were hardly any rocks visible in the river anyone could get knocked into. The greatest sound was the sound of water falling onto rocks that stuck out from a waterfall upriver. Manny dismissed whatever worries he had when he saw how calm the river looked.

"Bring it on!" Samual yelled, referring to diving into the rapids. He pawed at the ground with a hoof in eager anticipation. But his excitement died down when he saw Basil walk up to the river. "Don't ya worry. I'll help ya along too Basil. If ya have any issues crossin', I'll be there."

"For the last time! I do not have issues. Besides, how would you save me if I started to drown? I'm too heavy. I'm a mammoth remember." Basil said giving Samual an irked look.

"Manny. It could still be dangerous to cross. Its appearance may be deceiving." Len warned Manny as he eyed the river.

But the larger bull shook his head. "No, we'll be fine."

"This should be nothing guys. Just enter single-file." Manny announced to the others.

Everyone did as they were told but what they failed to notice was the jagged stones beneath the water's surface, how deep the river was, and also that the water was icy cold.

When Len and Samson as they were about to enter, they hesitated. To their surprise, Samual came charging from behind them, ready to make a triumphant (or embarrassing) dive into the river. So, to avoid a nasty scrape from the caribou's antlers, they ran to the left and into the river.

At first the river seemed fairly safe to but when the jagged rocks ripped at Samson's pelt and he felt the current pick up suddenly as he slowly swam with Len, he knew this was not a decent place to cross.

Samson stopped paying attention to the river right in front of him for a moment to see how Manny and Ellie were doing. But a second later, he wished he hadn't. He was rammed headfirst into a rock that appeared out of nowhere. Len tried to stop him but thanks to Samual's antlers painfully crashing into his body, he was not fast enough.

Despite his boasting, the caribou was not near as good a swimmer as he thought he was.

Basil grabbed onto him with his trunk. "And I was he said I was the one with the issues." But Basil's nab at humor was short-lived. Up ahead, he saw Manny suddenly hit something and disappear underwater.

Len grabbed Samson with his trunk who was being pulled downstream as he bumped into more jagged rocks.

Holding onto the smaller mammoth, Len swam ahead as fast as he could, dodging rocks and struggling to keep his head above water with the extra burden he was pulling along.

Basil wanted to help Len with Manfred if he could. "Hold him." he instructed Talia. Basil handed her Samual who was fighting to keep afloat.

"I don't have any problems. Gah!" the caribou shouted as he was suddenly pulled underwater. Talia grabbed him and held him at the surface, laughing inside.

Meanwhile, Len was at the spot Manny had disappeared. Ellie was frantically reaching down for him an calling his name. Still holding onto Samson, Len dove underwater and opened his eyes. He could see that Manny's hind legs were caught in some vine-like plants. He was struggling to free himself but he was only getting tangled up more. Thinking fast, Len quickly slashed the plant away with his tusks. To the bull's surprise, it worked. The plant was sliced in half and Manny was able to make a quick dash to the surface.

A few seconds later, Len reached the surface with Samson. Basil shot him an apologetic glance. In all honesty, he had tried to save Manny as well but when he dove underwater, he could not locate where the larger mammoth was. Len just nodded causally, accepting his friend's apology.

But his friend failure to save Manfred didn't matter. Everyone was safe and they were almost on the shore now. Manny and Ellie stepped out of the river followed by Talia with Samual, and Basil. Samson slowly swam with Len back to shore.

"You saved Manny. I can't thank you enough." Ellie said, holding her trunk out to hug Len.

But Len pulled away. "Thank you but that won't be necessary." he replied without a hint of happiness on his face.

"T-thank you too. I wouldn't have made it through that river without you." Samson added, somewhat at a loss for words.

Manny nodded as if to add his that he was appreciated what the Len had done as well. Samson was starting to feel like a son to him and the act of bravery the bull had taken to save him had meant a lot. Manny also appreciated that the young bull saved his life, though he wasn't going to readily admit that he had actually _needed_ the help.

Len simply put on a fake (but convincing) smile. If only they _knew. _What he had done top help them was nothing compared to the harm he had already caused. If Manny had known Len's past at this moment, he would have been much less than grateful to him - and so would Ellie. Talia and Basil already knew but they weren't pressuring him to tell Manny. They were sure Len would tell Manny when the time was right - and he would. Samson was certainly not going to tell them. He was known for trying to stay out of everyone's way whenever possible. Plus Samson already knew Len's secret was not something to be repeated.

The sound of a coughing and wheezing caribou brought Len out of his thoughts. "Ya… guys did just ….save my life. I guess I was wrong you Basil…. ya aren't as selfish and careless as I thought… Sorry about that." He continued coughing and struggled a bit to regain balance.

"I told you. I am not the one with the problems. You are!" Basil said pridefully but also with hints of annoyance and relief

"No. I was just sayin' Ya aren't as bad off as I thought."

Basil rolled his eyes. This again. Surely the caribou would never stop. "But I have to hand it to Talia. She did a great job rescuin' me too. She's one heck of a nice gal." Talia grinned and stuck her head up pridefully.

Again, Basil reminded himself, he'd need to have a serious talk with Talia later.

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That same morning, the half of the herd across the rock wall was on the move. Silently and angrily, Diego limped along. He could have traveled along at a much faster pace even with his injuries. But Sassy was slowing them down. There had barely been any trouble all morning from the possum twins or Sid. However, Sheba was a different story. She was nagging and complaining about the sabers so much it made Diego want to give her a fatal throat bite.

But that wasn't going to work out for the saber tooth. If they went back on their plan, if even a little, Sheba would kill them. To turn on the sloth now was a lame idea to him. Diego had used up too much energy the previous day and as far as fighting was concerned, that could only bring more abuse from the sloth and not much damage to her. Sid had talked her into coming up with this new plan. Though he was dim-witted and extremely awkward, the saber couldn't blame Sid that much. Sheba was very powerful and could not easily be persuaded or toyed with. If Sid had controlled the outcome of Sheba's new plan at all whatsoever, the effect on it was extremely minimal. A wall couldn't even stop the sloth from doing what she wanted.

Speaking of wall… a mount of rocks lay in their path along a dry riverbed. Diego smelled water at the top. It was a dam of some sort, holding back an enormous amount of water. To Diego's dismay, a steep cliff was on both sides of it. If he had any hope of reuniting with his herd, Diego and the others would have to climb the dam.

He led the group to the dam without a word. They exchanged looks of unease and confusion as if they wondered why Diego had led them to this formidable looking mount of rock and mud.

"Climb up!" Diego growled. His patience was waning by the second. It showed in the way he stalked along and folded his ears back.

"Why? What? Who?" was Sid's roundabout answer.

"You're going to make me climb that mister, with my injuries? Thanks a lot." Sassy spat.

"Good thing we're actually built for climbing." Eddie said to his brother with a grin.

"Just shut up for a second!" Diego roared, silencing them. The sabertooth sighed. "Do I have to explain or will you just climb the thing?"

"Well we were hoping you would do the first explaining part first." Sid said naively. He pointed a claw nervously at the formidable looking dam.

"Fine." The saber tooth sighed once more. "This is the only way North. If we go around this cliff, we'd be backtracking a couple dozen miles."

Sheba put her paws on her hips and Sassy almost growled in response. "_So_." Diego said emphasizing the word. "Either you lunatics take a risk or go to who-knows-where until this cliff ends and we get lost." he informed them gruffly. "So I suggest you suck up whatever stupid thoughts you have and climb up this dam now!" he yelled as his temper reached its peak.

Sassy beared her teeth slightly at the moody saber and slowly started her climb. Sheba simply scoffed and started her trip up at her own pace.

Within a few minutes, the she-sloth was well ahead of them.

"Are you sure she's a sloth?" Eddie asked Sid.

"She looks like one but she sure doesn't move, act, or smell like one." Sid replied scratching his head. The sloth yawned widely. They may have only been climbing for a few minutes but he was ready for a nap even after this short round of physical activity.

The possums snickered at Sid. "What?" he shouted back at them dumbly. The brothers just laughed harder.

As the others climbed, Sassy tried her best to keep up. She found herself panting for breath and lagging behind. Diego didn't bother to turn back for her; he knew she wouldn't want that. He carefully made his way up, carefully testing the rocks' stability that he stepped on with each paw.

The dam was indeed high and the rocks and mud that held it together. It was either an extraordinarily large beaver dam or a strange formation of nature. But Diego didn't care what it was; his main concern was getting to the top and to rid himself of Sassy and Sheba as soon as possible.

When the mad she-sloth finished climbing the dam, she decided to make her own self-announcement.

"See what worthless predators you are! You can't even beat a sloth!" Sheba yelled so it echoed off the rocks and anyone around could hear her. "Heh heh. Not myself of course. I'm a notable sloth who is the epitome of what you idiots should be like." Sheba raised her voice further and started shouting out all sorts of words to compliment herself. "I am brave, courageous, fast, cunning, useful-!"

"The craziest animal I've ever met!" Crash shouted up toward her. The possum twins began giggling again, this time at Sheba.

"Don't make me go after you too! I'll-"

"Ok! Ok! We get the point." Crash said holding his arms up in a stop signal.

Diego growled under his breath. Even those two knot heads were afraid of the deranged sloth. That was another sign to the saber just how powerful the female sloth was. Crash and Eddie weren't scared of much and the fact that she frightened them hurt his impression of her even further.

The possums were the first after Sheba to reach the top, followed by Diego.

But Sassy found herself stuck just below Sid when they are almost at the top. She did not like being thought of as weak and being one of the last ones to scale the dam made her edgy. But something was not right. The she-saber figured out what is was bothering her quickly… _too_ quickly. Sid had just grabbed onto a rock that did not look stable and before she could shout at him to stop, an enormous rock fell followed by others.

The boulders missed Sassy head by an inch. To her distaste, Sid had latched onto her lower leg to break his fall when the rock came loose. "Help!" he screamed in a high-pitched girlish voice.

Diego got up from where he was waiting and peered over the cliff. He heard the loud groan and crack of many unsteady rocks beneath him. The dam was going to collapse. And he couldn't just let the two stuck down there die… at least not Sid anyway.

But before the tiger could intervene, he saw a reddish-orange blur fly over the edge of the dam and down it. "Ahahahahahahah!" it yelled. Suddenly he heard a thump and the startled grunts of Sassy and Sid.

Diego's jaw dropped in shock when he realized that Sheba was rescuing them. Gazing over the ledge, he could see that Sheba had grabbed Sassy by her paw with one arm and she had her tail curled around Sid's neck. The she-sloth made her way up the dam at a swift if not extraordinarily fast pace. Just as one of Sheba grasped the top of the dam with one of her front paws, a huge booming sound echoed through the air. The ground shook as thousands of gallons of water poured over the ledge they were climbing; the dam was breaking.

Sheba tossed Sassy and Sid up onto solid ground just in time for them to the impending disaster. But she didn't have time to finish her journey to the top before stones and boulders of all sizes were hurled down on her. Boulders fell by the dozens that it created a sound louder than a mammoth herd 500 strong. And to add to the chaos, water flowed out of the dam had created in truck-fuls. As the falling water hit rock, it sprayed everything in its path, covering everyone in a fine mist.

But all too soon, the earsplitting sound of the falling rocks ended. Silence reined over the area. The only noises to be heard were was the calm flowing sound of newly made waterfall and the occasional boulder groaning of a rock as it shifted amongst the other fallen rocks.

As the ringing from the noise died down in Diego's ears, reality sunk in. Sheba had just saved two… or one of Diego's friends. How could she be so mean and then save Sassy and Sid out of the blue like that? And now she was dead. Diego was confused as so were the others. They exchanged uneasy glances in an awkward silence.

But the group didn't have time to debate exactly what Sheba had done or why. The she-sloth leapt from somewhere in the waterfall and up and onto the platform where the others where. She had a few bruises and was soaking wet but no worse for the wear. She shook her fur and grinned conceitedly at the stunned group.

"H-how did you survive that?" Sid asked, at a loss for words.

"Simple. I hid in a cavern under some boulders while the dam broke." Sheba's expression hardened. "What's it to you lunatic?"

"Well…" Sid said fiddling with his claws. "You just saved me."

"Hmmf! What are you looking for a reason? I thought you shouldn't die there and that's that." she huffed. "Plus, what sort of a plan would I have if I didn't do my part? If I'm traveling with you and not beating you so you'll prove your worth, what use is it to let you die?"

"Well you were uhhhh…. never mind."

Diego started walking out ahead. "That's fine Sheba. We see your point. Now let's keep-" Diego interjected, dismissing Sheba's act of selflessness.

Sassy cleared her throat. "What the brute on my left means to say is thank you for saving us. And while we still don't understand the reason for your actions, we might as well not celebrate. We have places to go." Sassy expected a blunt insult from the sloth but to her surprise, she did not hear one from the Sheba's mouth.

"Well. I saved you and you should be happy. It wasn't easy you know. Some kind of gratitude…." Sheba said looking away and crossing her arms. She seemed embarrassed somehow.

"Ya know. I think Sheba has heart. She just hides it. You should get to know her more." Sid said grinning as he waddled alongside Diego.

"Like Manny? Eww. I don't think so." Diego said, opening his mouth in disgust. The saber started to raise his voice to the sloth. "That's a crazier idea crazier than-"

"I'll finish for you mister." a rebellious voice interjected. "Sheba may do a little nice something at times but she's evil deep down really. Whoever this Manny is, she's nothing like him. Plus, Sheba's downright berserk. She probably has an egotistical reason for doing a good deed. Drop it will ya?" Sassy glared at her male counterpart who just shook his head.

"Say anymore bad about me and I'll cut your scavenger eyeballs out! Got it?" Sheba snapped. The group obediently stopped their debate. With Sheba's last words in mind, the herd continued their journey in silence.

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Somewhere on the other side of the rock wall, a squirrel scurried about on his daily rounds. He spotted an acorn across a pretty calm looking river. Gasping in delight, the squirrel jumped in.

But the moment Scrat started swimming in the river, he realized there were sharp rocks just underneath the water's surface. He squeaked and screamed as he was bashed against rocks and pulled precariously by the swift current he hadn't noticed before.

To the squirrel's surprise, a large trout jumped out of the water from under where he was swimming. Scrat chirped happily when he realized that the fish had launched him in the air toward the acorn. But as if the whole thing was planned, another trout flopped itself onto the bank and ate the nut. Scrat narrowly missed snatching it before the fish as he landed by the river's edge.

The saber-toothed squirrel ran to grab the fish in a desperate squeaking frenzy. But instead the fish just winked and flopped back into the water. Scrat jumped up and down on the bank angrily shaking his fists.

But that didn't last for long. As he hopped about, Scrat got himself stuck up to the shoulders in dark, sticky mud. The squirrel, grunted, gasped, and groaned as he tried to free himself but it was no use; he was stuck. Scrat saw the two fish swim upriver, leaping out of the water every now and then. The squirrel screamed in fustration. He had lost his treasured acorn yet again…

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to click the review button at the bottom of the page. *hint hint*

That's all for now. Thanks for reading! ^^


	7. Memories of Times Past

Disclaimer: I do not and I mean positively DO NOT own Ice Age. But I do own Samson, Len, Talia, Basil, Sassy, Sheba, and Samual.

This story is quite sad but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to include reference to how Manny lost his family and also to Samson's past in one chapter. Enjoy!

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That night, the herd settled in a thick spruce forest. It was dusk, not the time for them to sleep and not the time for frolic. However the six mammoths and caribou in the herd were far from quiet.

Forming a circle around an imaginary campfire, the group fired questions at each other and engaged in intense discussion. The seven of them formed two distinct groups. On one side of the circle was Len, Talia, and Basil and the other Ellie, Manny, Samual, and Samson. All of them but Len were resting on the ground. They had made the decision to rest early for the night after the treacherous river crossing.

"So, you are saying… you also had your family killed by humans?" Manny asked Samson a little too directly.

"Yes. I was… I fell over a cliff." Samson said, avoiding eye contact as he fidgeted with a pebble on the sandy ground. He did not want to talk about this, not in the company of so many others. He wouldn't mind sharing his history just with Manny and Ellie around but definitely not Samual.

"Is that how you bent your leg honey?" Ellie asked, green eyes surveying the bent of the young bull's right leg.

"Yes."

"Wow. Talk about an antler bender. Tell me, what exactly happened when ya fell? The leg doesn't look too good even now. And ya herd, is that how ya lost em', the humans killed em' too?" Samual asked. He was the motor-mouth in the conversation as usual.

"Well I-" Samson started after a moment's hesitation.

"Tell us. All the details. If they are gory, ya gotta tell someone sooner or later kid. Otherwise ya will end up with problems like Basil."

Manny cast Samual an irked glance that clearly meant "back off". A further nudge from Ellie got the point across to the crazy ungulate.

But Samson did not notice. He was lost in thought. As old feelings of sorrow and agony resurfaced, he remembered… remembered that dark, miserable night just three years ago…

In him deep down somewhere, the young bull the strength and trust to tell the group, Samson cleared his throat and prepared to tell them his story… his whole story....

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Start Flashback…

In a herd of twenty, Samson was just another young mammoth enjoying like in the herd and the joys and plenty of summer. He was naturally cautious but he also had a heart of gold. Like the other young males in his herd middle, he looked forward to the day he would reach his prime, when his tusks grew to full length and he stood over 4 meters high. But now, he was the smallest male of 12 years in the herd. But he didn't care, he had friends and he thought since he was kind and smart enough that no one teased him, it didn't matter. Like everyone else, he thought there would come a time he would grow to be as large and strong as his herd mates.

But one dark night, the herd leader sensed something was amiss. The lead male Cardon, raised his brown furred trunk to test the air. He caught a disturbing and pungent scent. Humans surrounded herd, hidden in the tall summer grasses. Suddenly a spark flew, lighting a small patch of grass up in flames. Cardon signaled the alarm with an ear-shattering trumpet. Samson did not understand the reason for such a prompt and panicked alarm over a small bit of fire.

But his question did not remain unanswered for long. A mob of shouting humans with spears and torches burst out of the thicket. Mammoths ran past each other, trumpeting and roaring in a startled frenzy. A ferocious growl sounded from the hunters' throats. Combined with the suffocating smell of smoke and sharp pain that lased their sides when the hunters brushed their torches over the mammoth's pelts', the herd charged in a blind fiery to the only area where no humans stood, an area of flat ground leading cliff they did not see. Samson fought to stay planted where he was when huge bodies pushed past him and other mammoths' titanic feet almost stepped on his. Only did he attempt to run when a spear came whooshing down into the ground by his forelimbs, sending him into a panic.

By now, a fire raged in the grasses and the humans were closing in. Blinded by the bright fire against the dark night sky, Samson felt an overpowering urge to run in the opposite direction. But something in the young bull's mind told him to do otherwise. Defying instinct, he ran into the chaos, into the band of humans and through the blazing flames. But as just as he burst through the never-ending sea of flames, his foot hit a large stone that sent him falling down a steep incline.

Battered and bruised, Samson woke up several hours later to a sharp pain in one of his forelegs. When he weakly pulled up his head enough to take a look, he was horrified. Bone showed through one side of his leg and a pool of blood lay beside it. Muttering under his breath that it was only a dream, he heaved himself up and weakly stumbled along on three legs for what felt like an eternity. The trench created by the cliffs on either side that he was walking in now felt endless.

Just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion and the excruciating pain from his leg, he came upon the remains of his herd. The canyon was much deeper here and it was apparent his herd had been driven off the edge of the cliff. Bodies lay on the canyon bottom, broken and bruised. A few torches also lay on the bottom but there was not a single human fatality. Strange gashes in the fallen mammoths' bodies indicating humans had harvested meat from them with spear points. That told Samson the whole story, the hunters had used a clever strategy to drive the herd over the cliff and obtain easy meat.

Samson took a step back first, disgusted by the sickening smell of blood and horrified by the sight of his family's mutilated bodies. He took a shaky breath that rattled in his chest and began to search for survivors. The injured bu;; thoroughly inspected each and every mammoth for signs of life but he didn't even a trace in all twenty of his herdmates. Less than 30 minutes later, Samson stepped back from the last dead mammoth, fighting back tears as reality sunk in. Just as Samson was about to give up and lay down to die like they had, he saw an area where the canyon leveled up and went back to ordinary ground. Samson fought back his feelings and focused solely on his instinct to survive. With his last bit of energy, the young bull forced himself up the incline. From that point, he started a long and painful recovery… on his own.

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End Flashback….

Ellie's eyes widened. "That's what happened to you? Aww honey, I am so sorry!" Samson hung his head as tears flowed freely down his cheeks.

"Manny lost his family too also by humans so you are not alone if that makes you feel any better." she said gently.

"I don't want to-" Manny started.

"Well I'll be! That is darn right sad! I'll say, ya could use a kind of therapy called-" Ellie took over Manny's usual job and smacked Samual in the head. That silenced him and made him fall backwards.

"Now what were ya saying honey?" Ellie asked her mate.

Manny sighed. He was feeling close to this kid whether he liked it or not. He might as well stop hiding it. Especially with Samual knocked out for a while. "I-I don't think I should keep his from you any longer… um Samson. Do you wanna go for a talk in the woods over there? I'd imagine it would be easier than telling us so many others around." The bull gestured to the other 3 young mammoths and the caribou on the ground.

Samson nodded and the two got up for what seemed more like a father-son talk to him than anything else. Unexpectedly, Manny turned around. "Ellie? Aren't you coming?" he asked, meeting Ellie's gaze.

The she-moth simply shook her head gently. "Nah. I think I'd better watch the others. Plus I think I hit Samual harder than I meant to. I'd better watch him while he's out."

"We'll be back soon." the bull replied over his shoulder. Cautiously, Samson walked after Manfred into the forest.

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At the other side of the large circle they had formed, another discussion was also going on.

"I think you should tell him. Now would be a good time." Basil advised Len. He gazed at his friend sadly though with faith in his friend that he could do this.

"Yeah. Just tell him after he's done with Samson. Ask him to talk to you alone for a minute or somethin'." Talia added.

"Ok." Len said at a volume almost too quiet to hear. "I will tell him my secret and what it has to do with him." Len started off into the thick maple forest. "Thanks guys. You're the best friends I could ask for." At that he left, to find Manfred and muster up the courage he needed to tell him.

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Somewhere in the dense forest, Scrat scurried around to a place he had stashed his acorn from last fall. He climbed up a tree and onto a rocky ledge. The acorn on the ledge, wedged between two rocks. The squirrel sniffed the air briefly for danger before he grabbed his acorn.

But the scents and sounds around surprised him. Swiveling his ears and lowering his head, he saw two mammoths talking. Scrat squeaked in surprise. First he thought the smaller one was Talia who he knew as "The Mammoth Acorn Stealer".

Scrat sighed in relief and wiped his paw against his brow when he saw it was just the weak looking young mammoth and the other one he knew as Manny.

The squirrel scampered to the ledge and grasped his acorn in his paws. But it was stuck. He tugged and pulled at it with all his might to free it. With the crack of rock, it came loose. Clutching the acorn to his breast, the squirrel embraced the acorn lovingly.

But the nut was knocked out of his paws when something hit the ledge and a pained yell echoed through the air.

The squirrel gazed down to the two mammoths. He gasped. A fragment of rock lay on the ground and Manny's shoulder was bleeding mildly. And beneath his foot… the remains of his precious acorn. Scrat didn't have time to mourn the loss of his beloved acorn. Manfred's trunk suddenly swooped up to grab him.

Scrat screamed and dodged the bull's trunk. He panted loudly as scurried up a tree and out of the irritated mammoth's reach.

Manny sighed. He watched the loony squirrel's hasty departure. Manfred turned to the smaller mammoth. "Uh… listen. Whatever that squirrel was doing, he dislodged a piece of rock and sent it down on my shoulder."

"Are you ok?" Samson said, eyeing the larger mammoth's minor wound warily.

"It's nothing. I'll just go to a river and wash it out." He pointed to the small fragments of rock in the wound. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Just tell me if that squirrel comes back. I'm not through with him." he grumbled.

He set out to find the nearest river which couldn't be far.

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Meanwhile, Len was making his way through the underbrush. He planned to talk to Manny after he was finished with Samson.

The young male picked up Manfred's scent and followed it but curiously Samson was not with him. Furthermore, he caught the faint smell of blood. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the larger mammoth's shoulder was bleeding. Though the wound was shallow, he wondered if it had anything to do with why Samson was not with him.

Len followed the older bull silently through the forest (or as quiet as a mammoth could) until he stumbled upon a small clearing with a large stream flowing through it.

Len slowly made his way up to Manfred until he was sure the bull could smell and hear him. "Manny. If you can right now, I need to tell you something." Len had his head lowered and he spoke in a voice that was sad and ashamed.

The larger bull arched an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be back with the others?"

"No. I owe you… I owe something dear to you. " Manny arched an eybrow, "I owe you your first mate and child's life." The words for forced and the typically calm Len fought hard to keep eye contact with Manny.

"How? ….What do you mean?" he asked somewhat shocked by Len's words.

"I was the one you killed your son. It has been sixteen years. You do not know who I really am… what I am."

Manny wondered how Len knew the exact number of years since he lost his first family. Had Ellie told him… but she couldn't have. She didn't know the exactly how long it had been since he had lost his first family. But Len couldn't have done anything like that… still he knew somehow. Still, the mammoth denied Len had anything to do with it. "How could you? You are a mammoth. There were no mammoths other than me when my-"

"But let me explain." Len interjected. "Who I am now is not who I once was." His voice was low and almost mourning. Manny cast the younger bull a confused yet suspicious look.

Len took a breath. "I…I was there with the humans on the top of the cliff when your first family was killed. I was a human hunter at the time…. at the edge of the cliff the hunters from my village where throwing boulders from. My plan… it was to kill your mate with my spear. But before I got the opportunity, a rock hit me and I tumbled down the cliff. I tried to escape but before I knew it, something hit your calf in the head and knocked him out. He fell on me and I had my spear pointed straight up. He….he …. that was when he died. I hadn't meant to kill him. Our hunting part was going for his mother… your mate …. we planned spare her offspring so it could grow into a mammoth that could provide us with much meat someday. ..... But … when I killed your child, your mate tried to stand up and throw me aside with her trunk. But a boulder fell on her and she crushed me. The last thing I heard was the loud blare when she was killed and … my life ended. ...The next thing I knew, I was born into the body of a male mammoth calf, a newborn that had been presumed dead for almost a day. It brought life to that baby with my spirit settled within it. It took me a while to figure out who I was and to learn the languages of animals after I began to inhabit the mammoth's body. I had never realized... as a hunter, what animals were like and what they were capable of emotionally … or intellectually. But my past has never left me.... I have been about as I am today since I was seven years old. To my mother I am a blessing for I am a spirit that gave her child life even if what I am is a human spirit. But to me… it is a curse. I should have died with the two that died so long ago. ….But I did not and I have yet to figure out why I am still here. I can see that you have suffered immensely since your family died…... and I am to blame for it." Len took a breath. "That is... that is my secret... what I have been meaning to tell you Manfred."

Len's mind had been wandering while he told Manfred the story of how his son was killed and how he turned into a mammoth. He had given Manny eye contact the whole time but as he spoke it was not Manny who he saw. He was envisioning every detail of what happened, the spill of blood, the agonized trumpets, the blow of wind on his elk skin shirt and even the pleading look in the calf's eyes as his mother was cornered. It all was sinking in further as he talked to Manny and inside, it was tearing him apart.

But a hard tusk pushing him down to his knees snapped him out of it. Manny pinned him to the ground with his tusks and trunk. When Len looked into his eyes, they appeared lost and empty-how they must have been the day his family was killed. But they were also overshadowed by endless grief and rage.

"You killed them… and I will not stand for it!" he said in a dangerously low voice, daring Len to do anything that could provoke violence.

"I will do anything, everything I can to help you." The words were forced and his voice was somewhat. "I know that what I have done can never be forgiven." Len fought not to grimace in pain where Manny was holding one of his legs and trunk down with his ivory tusks. "I-"

"Manny!" Samson's young, innocent voice was easily recognizable. "Where were you? I was getting-…" The young bull's happily disappeared from his features like snow in a desert. He gazed at Manny and Len. "W-what happened?"

"Len killed my son." shot back at him, his voice as hard as steel.

Samson gulped. He knew that Len would tell him sooner or later. But it looked like the conversation had become an act of restraint as well. Manny held the younger bull's trunk, two tusks and one of his front feet under the crushing weight of his frontend.

"I-I know. B-but that doesn't mean you should hurt him." Samson stammered, trying to look the larger mammoth in the eye.

"You _**knew **_about this?" Manny's expression was as shocked and angry as his voice.

"Well… Y-yes. But I didn't want to say anything. I knew Len would. H-he's been trying to find you and tell you this since he became a mammoth 16 years ago."

Manny lifted some of his weight off Len. "Samson." he said glaring at both of them. "Len is not to be trusted. After what he was done…. I …. I" All anger faded from his face and was replaced by great grief. "I have no reason for to deal with you two. I'm going to have a child soon and ….what's in the past…. that's… just don't let it happen again…"

He released Len and trudged off away from the two young mammoths. He wouldn't kill another mammoth like that… even if he was a human who killed his family. It was not in his nature and the overwhelming sadness he felt took away all of his energy.

"Wait. Manny!" Samson tried to catch up the melancholy bull. But Len stopped him with his trunk.

"He needs space and we need to give him that." Len said to Samson firmly as he got up.

"But what about what you said you would do when you finally found him? That you would do everything in your power to somehow make it up to him? Didn't you mean it?" he asked, both dazed and confused at Len's sudden change of attitude.

"I-I still do. I think I'm doing what's best. I-"

"Len!" The sixteen year old perked up. "Stop mourning over what happened to yourself and help the creature who needs it most!"

"But that wasn't. Manny needs-"

"Isn't that what you want, to help Manny?" Len gave Samson a small nod. "Then I suggest you snap out of this and go after Manny. I'll help you get through to him but I'm not doing it alone." Samson assertively grabbed Len's trunk and took him in the direction Manny had walked off. "You're coming with me!"

The two quickly walked off to have a long and serious conversation with Manny… and with each other about Len's true intentions.

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Meanwhile, Scrat examined the crushed remains of his acorn. It lay on the ground in tiny pieces. He sat on the ground, rubbing his paws tenderly over the acorn bits. But a loud voice made him jump up.

"Hello there ya lil' squirrel? What's eatin' at ya?" Samual asked, appearing out of the blue. Scrat pointed eagerly in the opposite direction meaning he wanted the caribou to leave. He wanted some quiet time with his "deceased" acorn but that was not enough to stop talkative caribou.

"Tell me. Have ya seen two mammoths? Ya know, Samson and Manny? I was havin' a sensitive convseration with Samson if ya will and somethin' long and furry knocked me out cold. Don't know what the heck it was but when I heard that those two mammoths I was mentionin' went off to talk, I snuck off to look for em'. Have ya seen em' anywhere?"

Scrat put his paws on his hips and looked at Samual angrily. Nothing would stop him from mourning his beloved.

"Aww. C'mon now. Aren't ya goin to tell me? What's the harm in tellin' me aye?" the annoying ungulate took a step forward into the squirrel's face.

Scrat sighed. Samual wasn't going to leave him alone but he might as well answer him if he could get rid of him. He scratched his head for a moment before pointing to where he had last seen the two mammoths.

The caribou grinned. "Thank ya. Couldn't have done it without ya!" The ungulate bolted off.

Scrat took a few moments more to spend with his nut. Without a sound, Scrat began to dig a hole he had set a rock next to. This was where his acorn would forever rest in peace.

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Just to explain the end of my chapter a little, I've been thinking that Scrat could love an acorn more than for food. Maybe that he'd even bury it like he would a loved one. That's where I came up with his ending for him. A little different than most Scrat scenes I know but also original. Feel free to tell me what you thought of it. I'm really curious about what you guys think of my idea.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. And there's many more to come.


	8. A Bitter Herb, a Bitter Experience

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

This chapter has quite a bit of suggestive language as well as come violence. Just a warning…

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"We'll scout ahead." That was Crash and Eddie's instant response when Diego said that the group might be lost that cool evening.

But it might as well have been "farewell" as far as the male saber tooth was concerned. He knew they wanted to get away from the group but it was still no excuse to just leave. Sassy was making a scene with Sheba.

Shortly after the dam they climbed had collapsed, Sassy and gone into a trance. And then of course there was the challenge of getting her out of it. Something Diego did not relish doing.

Sheba's constant bickering Diego's mind snapped back to the present when Sheba bared her teeth at the she-saber, fumes of rage practically coming out of her head.

"You _**ARE**_ not doing it with _**ANY**_ sloth! I don't think so missy! Whatever demon has possessed you is just as pitiful as **YOU** are!" Sheba screeched in Sassy's ears … though the sabress didn't seem phased at all by the enraged sloth.

"I love it when you are fiery, sparky, and oh so full of attitude." she said to the sloth rubbing against her. Diego was surprised Sheba didn't turn on the female saber tooth and go straight for the jugular. She seemed to be sticking to her plan somehow and not hurting them. 'Interesting.' he thought as he sat on his haunches several meters away from the rest. He was ready to hastily depart or intervene if the situation got any more out of hand, whatever instinct told him to do first…

"Doesn't that make them the same. The demon and Sass-." Sid interjected, disrupting Diego's thoughts.

"**ENOUGH**!" Sheba bellowed. She had been glaring at the saber with cold, hard ferocity and hatred since the Sassy had made her rudely rubbed against her. Sid fell silent and Diego just sighed in irritation.

The sloth grabbed the saber's head forcefully so she growled in pain. "It is YOU and that lazy scavenger laying there who should be trying to produce offspring. NOT you and every creature or thing you encounter!" she said pointing at Diego. The male saber's ears swiveled forward. Had Sheba just suggested he and Sassy should have offspring? 'Oh no.'

"You got that?!" the sloth continued, snarling at Sassy. The sloth pointed a claw in Sassy's face to so close to her face that she almost poked the saber in the eye.

"I see how you want it girl. Now let's-" the crazed sabress continued. Sheba's body quivered in rage. Her arms shook and clenched her teeth so tightly; it was surprising that she didn't break them from force.

She was going to do something abrasive now. Diego could tell. His mind went from 0 to 60 in three seconds. Why had he just been lying down observing them earlier? Was it because he was just thankful she was not picking on him? No, he had to find that bitter herb and stuff it down Sassy's throat before Sheba completely lost it and did something harmful. He had no time to debate; he had to act.

With a burst of speed, Diego made his way to the meadow near where they had set up camp for the night. He searched quickly for an herb named black cohosh, the plant Sassy used to control her trances and eradicate her sense of smell temporarily. The instant he spotted it, Diego grabbed a mouthful of the bitter large leafed plant.

When he returned, Diego found Sassy gazing longingly at Sid. The sloth was engaged in conversation with her in an effort to distract her from Sheba.

Diego ran between Sid and Sassy, breaking up their awkward conversation. He tried to force the plant down Sassy's throat with his paw but she just growled in response. His attention turned to Sid.

"Sid, if you would since Sassy likes you so much… make her eat this." Diego said sarcastically, trying to keep his voice steady. He handed the sloth a pawful of the herb.

"B-but why?" Sid protested.

"Just do it!" Diego yelled. "She'll leave us and Sheba alone this way." The saber abruptly turned. He had enough of this. If only there was a way to get rid of that saber and the female sloth…

Almost instantly after Sid gave the female ate the black cohosh, she snapped back to her senses. "W-What happened?" Sassy stammered.

"Well…" Sheba said tapping her foot on the ground. "First you tried cornered me, then you tried to seduce me, then you tried to….. MUST I GO ON?! Or should I go and kill all of you crazed scavengers right here!" The sloth, who had been holding back once again quivered with anger.

"YOU!" she yelled, pointing a claw at Sassy.

"-Are the toughest, strongest… um… weirdest and most wonderful yet… meanest, most violent and …angry… sloth I've ever seen." Sid finished for her, his voice wavering. "I mean you're the best… your reddish eyes and uh bad attitude…" Sheba simply shook in a wordless rage.

Diego growled under his breath. Was Sid making a lousy attempt to seduce Sheba? He hoped not, yet he felt the need to change the subject.

He turned to face all of them in an attempt to gain all of their attention. "So…" he started as he met Sassy's confused gaze. "You were in another trance… and Sheba almost attacked you. I meaning "me" had to find those awful herbs and stuff them down your throat." Diego talked as if he was explaining something to a young child or an animal that couldn't easily comprehend what he was saying.

"But I-" Sid blurted, raising his arm.

"Ok… I made Sid stuff force you to eat that gunk. Now what do you have to say for yourself? I told you to go eat that stuff before we settled down for the night and clearly you didn't listen!" Diego's voice was angry yet he narrowly managed to keep his cool.

Sassy merely growled back. "I couldn't find it or is that too much information? Cuz where we were traveling, along a riverbank that black cohosh doesn't grow! And when I asked you to take another route, you refused." she shot back at him as put her claws out.

"But you should have told me that. How the heck was I supposed to know what a black co-something was. You-"

Sid held his arms up for silence. "Hold it." Sid commanded barely raising his voice. "It was a mistake and mistakes can be forgiven right?"

Sassy and Sheba just bared their teeth in response. They walked uncomfortably close to him with their heads lowered as if closing in for a kill. They glared at him menacingly.

But the sloth didn't know when to stop talking. "Hey. Why am I the one in trouble? Sassy was the one that-"

SMACK!

Sid moaned groggily as he lifted his aching head up. Three familiar shapes formed as his vision cleared. "Huh. What?"

"That was for making everything worse." Sassy snarled, withdrawing the paw she had used to bash Sid on the head with. Sid turned his throbbing head around to see Sheba glaring at him and Diego now too.

"Enough." Diego half spoke, half sighed. This was wearing on him and he didn't know how much longer he could hold up. Unfortunately, he was the only mature voice of reason in the group.

Sheba picked up a sharp stone. "No, it is not enough! You two scavengers should be-"

"Do you think now would be a good time to run?" Sassy whispered in Diego's ear. For some strange reason, she wasn't mad at him anymore. He didn't question it. Having her calm and sane for a little while was a miracle.

Sheba grabbed a few more stones preparing to take aim. "Agreed." he whispered back promptly to the other saber. The two took off running. The two heard Sid trying to sweet talk Sassy every now and then as they dashed along. Not to mention the countless threats and insults like, "You're out there!" and "I'm gonna squish your brains for this you scavengers as Sheba chased after them!"

The two kept switching hiding places. Where ever they hid, in grass, in shallow water, under fallen trees from the earthquake days back, Sheba found them. How she tracked them they didn't know but what they were aware of is that the situation was desperate. It was getting dark and if the mad sloth found them, she would kill them. Whatever attempts Sid made to stop her proved fruitless. Soon the two sabers could no longer hear Sid sweet talking Sheba. They only heard Sid calling their names as he aimlessly traveled in the forest looking for them.

Eventually, the two found a hollow a couple dozen meters up a redwood tree. The tree itself was too tall and steep for any ground sloth to climb. The saber tooth tigers hastily made their way up the tree. Diego only remembered that Sassy was injured when she began to slide down the tree trunk. The trunk was bent so the two did not have to climb up the tree in a vertical position. However, the distance they had to climb was too much for Sassy. Reluctantly, Diego grabbed her by the scruff and helped her up. As soon as they reached the hollow, they collapsed, panting. They were both exhausted, not just from the climb but also from the chase and the penned up anxiety from interacting with the vicious sloth. The two saber tooth tigers were safe for now as far as they knew. It was completely dark now and even though they were naturally nocturnal, they had more than a full day. The hollow would need to be the place they stayed for the night.

Diego looked into Sassy's fatigued blue eyes as she gazed desperately into the moonlight. He sensed an eerie, hidden look in them that seemed to beg for help. The male saber sighed. The two of them would have to make a team for now. Otherwise they would perish. Sassy and Diego would have to come up with something together to get rid of Sheba even if it meant breaking their deal with her. Their lives' as well as Sid's depended on it…

---------------------------------------

Oooh, a cliffy. *grins*

Anyhoo, you must be wondering what black cohosh is (or perhaps not). So I decided that since I mentioned an herb that Sassy uses to get rid of her sense of smell and stop her trances, I should research it to see if there is such a thing.

I did and came up with a strange plant. Black cohosh, a bitter herb that regulates hormones and such.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble. Please R & R. Tell me what you thought.


	9. Madness of Different Kinds

Sorry for not updating for so long. I've had a block lately and a lot going on at home so you can expect me to update pretty slow for a while. My apologies.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age. But I do own… *takes deep breath* Basil, Samson, Talia, Len, Sheba, Sassy, Samual …and also Cayote who will be making a brief appearance in this chapter.

* * *

As an eerie night wind blew, a mammoth stood at the base of a large oak tree, thinking… contemplating.

Len was not normally a creature to doubt himself or pout but he was not facing anything easy. The young bull would have to stand up to tell Manny talk with him about something painfully deep. Len would have to try to make him feel more at ease about the very topic that was tugging at his heartstrings and had his own mind racing:

Len had killed Manny's son while he was a human. Their earlier conversation about it hadn't gone so well and had left both anxious and upset.

He stared into the moonlight. Len knew that Samson was with Manny while he stayed behind. With a loud sigh, he set out to find Manny and set things straight.

* * *

Somewhere nearby a saber-toothed squirrel made his way through the darkness. It was late but Scrat was still hard at work. The squirrel picked up the scent of an acorn. He squeaked and panted as he ran on all fours in a mad dash to the acorn's location. But Scrat was not running for long. He collided with a hard thin object that almost knocked him over. It was the caribou, Samual's leg. Scrat had been in one of his usual desperate, panicky dashes and had not been minding where he was going in the dark. Either that, or the loony caribou had stepped into Scrat's path out of pure stupid ignorance.

"Hey there again lil' fella!" Samual said loudly.

Scrat squeaked in surprise. He was busy dusting himself off when the caribou yelled out the greeting. But the squirrel wasn't about put up with Samual so easily after last time.

"How are ya? Nice night ain't it?" Samual said causally.

Scrat growled and made a fist.

"So ya are not havin' a good night. That's a darn shame. I spotted Manny and Samson. Looks like they could use some cheerin' up too. I have an idea. Why don't ya and me head over there so we can all talk our about our issues? Great idea ain't it?" he said jovially.

Scrat bared his teeth and shook his head no in earnest.

"Are ya sure? Cuz when I a little ways away from there, I saw an oak tree with acorns. Ya like acorns I bet! Maybe that would give ya a reason to come. Am I right?" The carbou smiled goofily and winked at the prehistoric squirrel.

Scrat resisted the urge he had to sock the caribou and make him pay for previous disturbances. Not to mention, he by no means wanted to travel with Samual to the acorn tree. But what choice did he have? There nuts there were his favorite food. The saber-toothed rodent decided that he couldn't refuse.

Scrat nodded "yes" despite his mixed feelings.

"Good. We'll head over there right now." the caribou replied almost instantly.

Samual started at a slow jog. They were headed in the direction of the acorn tree and well as Samson and Manny. "Follow me lil' fella. I'll lead ya there." he chanted encouragingly.

Scrat sighed. He looked at the ground just standing there for a moment. He groaned and started walking.

* * *

Len found Manny alone facing toward a spring. A chilly breeze blew past his fur. All he could hear was the sound of a babbling brook.

Len sighed softly and began to speak. "I… I wanted to apologize. If I can ever make it up to you, in any way for what I've done I'll-." The teenager took note that Manny wasn't moving and paused. The older mammoth stood as still as stone.

"Well… if you want to talk, I'll be-" Just as it looked like Manny was about to turn around, Samual and a saber toothed squirrel sprinted up to them.

"Did someone say TALK?" Samual exclaimed loudly.

"Oy." Manfred muttered, preparing for a tirade. Scrat's squeaks and grunts conveyed that he didn't want to hear Samual either. He desperately pointed in the direction the acorn tree was supposed to be in. Scrat hoping the caribou would forget the mammoths and resume leading him to the oak tree. But that was not the case.

"Ya know. I always think it helps to talk and _**not**_ talkin' is what eats at ya. Ya know what I would do in a frustratin' situation when somethin' silly is irritating ya?" he said with no idea what was going on between Manny and Len. Manfred cast the caribou an irked glance. If he had the least bit more energy, he would have socked the annoying ungulate _HARD_.

"Well, I would talk it out and make up. Ya hug, do a high-five and call it cool. Sorrow, that's how animals get hurt and ya should always pretend it all never happened. Now, if somebody killed someone else, then ya do the same darn thing. Ya kiss, make up, and smile. It's times like these that build friendships. It's darn strange but it's logical!" Samual jabbered on nonstop. He didn't realize that what he was saying wasn't just hurtful, but that it didn't make any sense either.

As the caribou went on, Scrat desperately began to yank on Samual's leg to get him to stop and Manny looked ready to blow up in anger.

'_And I thought Talia was bad….'_ Len thought. He quickly formulated an idea in his head to get the caribou to stop annoying everyone. This occasion would call for not only an excellent strategy but also sarcasm which Len knew he may not be good at. At that, the mammoth put his plan into action.

Len wrapped his trunk around Samual's mouth to shut him up. Then he took in a lungful of air began to talk in a way totally unlike him. "That's absolutely great. ALL our problems are solved." He burst out. "We are so thankful that we will NEVER need your help again. Thank you so much." Len practically shouted with fake joy. He shook Samual's hoof with his trunk so much that it nearly made him fall over.

"This herd will do great now. In fact so great that now I remember where your herd is Samual." his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The half shaken, half happy caribou barely had a second to say, "Where?"

"Over by Trout Falls. Thank very much! Goodnight!" Len let go of the area above Samual's hoof where the circulation was cut off by his rough, almost violent trunk-shake.

The mammoth shoved the caribou in the direction of Trout Falls. At that, Samual bolted off, either elatedly happy or just plain startled. Scrat scurried off after the caribou, squeaking all the way.

Len cautiously turned around, hoping he hadn't just done another thing to set off Manny's nerves. But instead of a melancholy frown or furrowed brow, Len saw a small smile on the older bull's face.

* * *

For Sassy and Diego, morning came when it didn't seem due. Sleep hadn't eradicated all their anxiety and their mounting tension about what to do about Sheba was still there.

He didn't blink twice before his fur stood on end. What would they do now? It was a pride wounding for Diego to know that he was running from a sloth. He couldn't help feeling some sense of responsibility toward Sassy for what was going on. The male saber fought where his thought were going, reminding himself that if it wasn't for Sassy, Sheba probably would never have been a problem in the first place.

Some time later he and Sassy made the risky climb down the tall tree they had slept in.

* * *

They hadn't been walking for long on their mission to find Sid when a brazen yet curious voice filled their ears. It was a mammoth.

"Who are you two sabers? You look like you just got beaten up by a pack of dire wolves." she asked quirking a brow. "And what the heck makes bite marks like that huh?" She gestured the wounds inflicted by Sheba.

Diego growled under his breath. It wasn't every day that a mammoth came up to a pair of sabers. This one a little too interested in them for his safety. However, Sassy was more open to speaking

"It was no pack of dire wolves. It was a sloth, no kidding me!" she declared, laying her ears back.

The female mammoth gave her brownish black pelt a good shake. "A sloth huh? That's crazy."

"It's true!" Sassy shouted.

"Yeah." the mammoth said sarcastically. "If it had an ego the size of the Northern glaciers I'd be interested." she drawled. The seventeen year old cow began to turn away, amused and yet uninterested in the sloth they mentioned.

An idea suddenly popped into Diego's head.

"Egocentric would describe that sloth well. But mad, harassing, devil would fit her better." Diego put in, suddenly eager to participate in this odd conversation.

"Name's Cayote." she said turning her head around for a moment. "Not so nice meeting you crazy folk." She turned her back on the two and proceeded to leave.

In a moment, she would have lumbered out of view had it not been for the putrid smelling creature that ran into her. It was Sid.

"Help! Please! Save me!" he cried. The annoying sloth to stop clung to her leg desperately.

Cayote looked from Sassy and Diego to Sid and back. "Oh, is this the horrible sloth that attacked you?" she asked sarcastically. "If anything, it's the stench that did it."

Sassy instantly covered her nose. She didn't need another trance, not now.

"No, it's not him. It's a demented sloth named Sheba!"

On cue, Sheba appeared, running full speed toward Sid. "That one!" Sassy screamed.

Sheba ran past Sid and successfully and punched Diego squarely in the ribs. He yowled in pain as the sloth proceeded to attack Sassy. Sheba snarled, shrieked, and screamed at the sabers as she attacked.

Cayote was taken aback. Never had she seen any animal like this before, let alone a sloth.

She sprang into action. The female mammoth ran up behind the Sheba while he was trying to inflict a blow on Sassy. Cayote smacked the sloth to the ground with her trunk and put weight on the sloth until she heard the crack of bone. Sid went from panicked to horrified and Diego and Sassy's jaws dropped in amazement of how easy she took down the sloth. Sheba lay on the ground breathing heavily, mildly bleeding from her tail.

"How do you like fighting, tundra mammoth style?" she asked proudly.

Diego stared at the mammoth. "That was… -" But Sid's loud shouts cut him off.

"-Ohmygosh! Are you ok? I knew you deserved a beating but not that bad!" Sid exclaimed. He rushed to Sheba's side to everyone's mild surprise. "Is she gonna die now?"

"Pfft. No, not even close. I broke her tail. The key of tundra mammoth fighting, shock your foe, injure them, and stun but don't kill them." she stated. Do I look like a murderer to you?" Cayote said staring intensely at Sid, Diego, and Sassy.

"No." Sassy lied, pretending not to notice the menacing look in eyes.

"Well it's nice to help folk with annoying and destructive creatures once in a while. Not normally sloths but hey, it counts." She began to walk off at a rolling pace.

"But wait! What about Sheba? Shouldn't we stay to make sure she is ok?" Sid shouted, running after the departing mammoth.

"Oh, she'll be fine alright. Up and running in an hour or so if she's anywhere near as hardy and determined on killing you guys as she was a moment ago. Get your tails out of here fast if you know what's good for you."

"-But! But!"

Diego placed his paw on Sid's shoulder causing him to glance back at the big cat. He could tell the sloth was gravely worried and decided to give the sloth some kinder words instead of a bop on the head. "Face it Sid. Sheba's dangerous to all of us. She's better dead than alive as far as I'm concerned. But she'll be up sooner than we know it. We're better off getting out of here than staying and regretting it later."

Diego and Sassy began to head away at a brisk pace.

"Walk away while you can if you know what's good for you." Sassy shouted to Sid over her shoulder. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Sheba for some reason. But she dismissed it, telling herself she was just tired from all the trauma lately.

Sid saw Sheba begin to move and try to pull herself up. He gasped and waddled up to them as fast as he could. He laughed nervously. "Right. Right! Let's go."

* * *

So how was it? Good? Bad? Too long? Too short? Leave a review and let me know.

…And I'm not sure if this chapter was hard to follow. I'm hoping it's not…


	10. Special Delivery

I surprised even myself that I finally updated this. Sorry for the extremely long wait. I hope I can update this on a regular basis again but I can't make any promises.

Also, this chapter contains an alternate birth scene for the birth of Peaches.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own anything from Blue Sky Studios. I'm sure you all are tired of me saying that by now…

* * *

The sun peaked out over the horizon, its soft yellow rays warming the Earth. The calls of birds in the morning air echoed through the land. Yet, for the herd, the day had begun before the first signs of morning.

After last night when Len convinced the caribou, Samual, to leave—in a way very much unlike him—the herd felt the need to get a move on. Even Talia—who rivaled Samual annoyance wise—felt happier without the constantly jabbering ungulate in sight.

However, the herd was not together.

Manny gave Basil a glare as he recalled what had led to their separation.

_Flashback…_

Manfred woke with a jolt.

"Ellie?" he asked nervously.

Being the father of a calf that would be born any day now allowed him to sense—even in his sleep—when his mate was not present. The mammoth heaved himself up onto his legs. It was the middle of the night; a chilling sensation crept up his spine.

When no one answered, Manny glanced around nervously. The mammoth squinted to adjust his eyes to the darkness, trying to locate her or any trace of where she had gone. To his dismay, the only sight that came to the mammoth's eyes was the figures of Basil and Talia browsing.

Where was the rest of the herd; most importantly Ellie? The pachyderm was already suspicious of what was going on. Since when did Basil and Talia eat at night instead of sleep? He rushed over to them.

"Talia, Basil, where is Ellie?" Manny asked, worry evident in his voice.

Basil lowered his head slightly. "Len left with Samson an hour ago. Then something screaming woke us up."

"It was the acorn-obsessed squirrely guy." Talia cut in.

"Yeah, him." Basil replied with a scowl. "Ellie wanted to see what was wrong…with Len and Samson of course."

"Basil wanted me to stay back with him." Talia interrupted.

The young male turned to the side to face both Talia and Manny. "We both wanted to stay here because we didn't want you to worry."

Manny gave the two teenagers a death glare. "And do you think not telling me Ellie was gone would help?" he boomed.

Basil cowered slightly yet kept his cool. "Ellie said she'd be back in a bit. She should be back any minute now."

"Yeah. She's been gone for over half an hour. She said she'd be back in ten minutes if she didn't find them right away." Talia chimed in, oblivious to what the about-to-be-father's reaction could be.

"Then we have to go after her now." Manny said in a determined, 'I won't change my mind about this' tone.

"Oh joy." Basil muttered sarcastically. Not only had the older mammoth woken up worried, but also Talia had said the worst possible thing. Expectedly, Manny was riled up and now they would all be forced to search for Ellie in the darkness.

"Ellie's expecting any day now. Since you two let her wander off like that, you have to help me find her. Follow me." he declared.

That was what started them on their hours-long search for Ellie.

_...End flashback_

At the thought of what the two kids let happen, Manny felt like he could yell at the two until his lungs burst. But he knew it would do no good in finding Ellie.

Basil and Talia's heads were lowered. The angry to-be-parent's talk with them shortly after they had begun searching had silenced them. Even flap-jawed Talia didn't try to annoy Manny further.

The adult mammoth sighed deeply to try to calm himself. The male reminded himself that they were traveling in the right direction to; her scent told him so. Still, it seemed like she was traveling on her own. There were no signs that Len and Samson were with her. What's more, without a good tracker like Diego around, the trio kept losing her scent and going in circles. A mammoth's nose was good but it was nothing compared to a saber's. But whatever the case, she seemed to be heading in the direction the herd had planned to travel that day.

* * *

Meanwhile, Samson and Len were lost in an endless maze of trees.

"Anything yet?" Samson asked Len, lifting his trunk to test the wind.

"No. It seems we have lost track of the herd altogether." Len confessed. "Don't worry, I'm sure we will find them." he said with a look of determination.

* * *

Hours passed and Ellie was not only worried, but feeling a sharp cramps. "I have to give up the search now." she muttered to herself.

Ellie knew she was about to give birth and in no condition to continue the search for whatever caused that scream during the night.

Speaking of screams, she soon found herself in agony. In no time, her fur was matted with sweat and she had to use all her strength to suppress cries of pain.

With no one to guard her, she was easy prey. Ellie knew she was on her own, that is until the female heard squeaking and the voice of some other creature.

"I told ya. I am **positive** the acorn tree is this way. It just takes a while." Samual told Scrat who was squeaking furiously in his own language that the caribou had led him the wrong way.

When the two got to the clearing where Ellie was, they were shocked.

Instantly, Samual was at Ellie's side. The she-moth lifted her wary head just in time to hear, "Doesn't matter what it is. Caribou calves, mammoth calves…. whale calves. I can help ya birth em'. Squirrely guy, fetch me some herbs. We'll need em' to get her through the pain." He named off Scrat a long list.

Scrat nodded and scurried off to do as he was told. In no time, he returned with every kind of medicinal plant in the area.

Ellie was shocked at how quickly and painlessly the birthing process went once we had eaten the plants. The mammoth didn't think Samual knew next to anything about the things he talked about. But in this case, he was right.

In what felt like a mere few minutes, the whole thing was over and an adorable little Peach-colored mammoth lay beside her. And what was amazing was she had the two most unlikely animals, a squirrel and a caribou, to thank for helping her baby come into the world.

* * *

R & R. I hope the end doesn't seem rushed but I didn't want to put in too much detail.


	11. When Love Really is Blind

I updated again. Sorry for the delay.

Oh yeah… I do NOT own Blue Sky Studios or any of their characters, just my OC's.

* * *

Diego, Eddie, Crash, Sid, and Sassy were on the move. They were trying to keep ahead of the maniac−Sheba.

Diego had taken the lead. He was deep in thought, contemplating their next move to rejoin the rest of the herd. Someone shouted "You have SUUUCH pretty eyes!"

The smilidon's head swiftly turned back to see Sassy walking beside Sid. She stared at him suggestively, eyes sparkling with interest.

Diego bounded over to Sassy and Sid with a roar. "Didn't I tell you to use that herb… black cohosh to prevent those trances, missy?" he snapped at the female, his voice almost at a growl.

Sassy was about to respond with another lovey comment─ this time toward Diego─ when, Sid ran between them.

"Hey Diego, what gives?" Sid protested, turning defensively to face the male smilidon. "Sassy was just telling me how attractive I am. No one has ever given me so many friendly compliments and-" the female had in fact been serenading Sid for a while so the sloth was not lying about how many positive things she had said about him.

"She has no idea what she's saying Sid." Diego interjected, irritated. Sassy just watched them argue confusedly in silence.

"But that doesn't mean what she says isn't true." Sid said with a gleeful smile. "After all, the ladies love me."

Diego furrowed his brow and the possums─ whom had been watching the scene in silence until now─ snickered.

"Yeah. You're about as attractive as a cockroach!" Crash chimed in.

"Ditto bro. Everything smelly and dirty just goes with you." Eddie added, giving his brother a high-five.

"Cockroaches are sooo beautiful." Sassy said in a passionate, dreamy voice as if roaches were the best creatures on Earth. She gazed lovingly in Sid's direction.

Ellie's brothers were between surprised and amused. Crash burst out in sudden laughter.

The male feline glared at both Sassy and the sloth. "You know Diego," Sid started, not noticing his friend's mood. "I think you and Sassy would make a cute couple… if she wasn't so into me."

The saber resisted the urge to roll his eyes and give the sloth a good bunk on the head. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the untouched land ahead. They all needed to rejoin the rest of the herd as fast as possible. "Stop the antics!" he shouted loudly to the other mammals. "Let's keep going, _all_ of you."

Diego pinned his ears back against his head in irritation and walked in a manner that was all business. To Sid, the cat was acting temperamental—just like Manny.

Despite the smilidon's authoritative manner, it was not long before Crash was cracking jokes again and Sassy was going further with her attraction with Sid.

"What if it was possible for saber tooth cats and sloths to reproduce? What would we call the babies?"

"Umm… Slot-abers?" Eddie guessed.

"Slow-sabers. No…What about 'Sassy-likes-Sid-and-Diego-likes-Sassy… sabers'?"

"That's so unoriginal Crash. Why not Slabers? It has a nice ring to it." Eddie suggested.

Diego pressed his ears against his head further, trying to drown out the sound of the two idiots.

* * *

Hours passed and Diego could get neither Sassy's lovey talk nor the countless dirty remarks from the possums out of his head. The cat found himself in a dream-like state. He kept hearing the remarks from the possums play over and over again in his head and he kept on walking further and further away to stop it, but the voices just kept coming back; tormenting him.

"Hey, Tigey, what's the matter?" Eddie asked to him. The possum's voice snapped Diego out of his illusion and brought him back to the present. The group had traveled miles into the densely forested area since and it was now evening. When he looked back for the rest of the group, he didn't see them following behind them.

Gazing to the right, the smilidon saw Sid, Sassy, and Crash in the distance gathering sticks to make a campfire. They were chatting and the female saber seemed to be over her trance. They were making camp without his permission but he'd let it slip just this one time.

Then something slimy between Diego's toes caught his attention. He looked down at his paws. They were covered with gooey mud. Furthermore, he was dripping wet up to his neck.

"What happened?" the stunned smilidon asked Eddie hoarsely after quite a long pause.

"You've been pacing ever since we stopped to set up camp. And when you started walking into the lake, I knew something weird was up." the possum answered, not seeming to mind how long it had taken his friend to respond.

Diego scrunched up his nose in disgust. His wet fur smelled like pond scum. "Who told you to come over…. Sid?" Surely the sloth had seen that he was out of it. Sid was usually _always_ the first to notice things like this.

Eddie shook his head. "Nope, all me." Diego frowned. Ellie's brother had to be lying.

"Not a word of my mishap to anyone." Diego declared; eyes narrowed.

"Geez, why are you so defensive? What's up with you acting so weird today anyway?" the possum asked, slightly frustrated with Diego's lack of an explanation on the subject.

"Your stupid, dirty jokes." he said with a growl. Diego left out that what really bothered him was the way most of the possum's jokes today revolved around him and Sassy as a couple, not the jokes themselves. Diego didn't feel a need to go into detail; it was best to leave this kind of additional information out with Ellie's brothers.

"All you had to do is tell us we were bothering you," the marsupial answered "Crash and I would have stopped." Eddie scratched his head and rephrased his last sentence into something more realistic. "Well at least we would have tried… you know to…put it on our 'to do' list or something like that." The possum added with a shrug.

Diego's eyes widened slightly; the typically mischievous marsupial's response surprised him. He could tell the possum really cared, at least a little. "Umm... thanks." Diego managed. The saber tooth gave himself a shake and recollected himself.

"Yep, any time, tiger." Eddie said with a toothy─ but genuinely sincere—grin. "Anytime you need something, we're here." He said, motioning to Crash as well as himself.

He probably hadn't needed to go as far as thanking the possum, but that bit of compassion towards him had been impressive for the normally aggravating possum. Diego gave him a slight nod.

At that, the possum energetically scurried back over to the others. Diego took a few steps towards Sassy and the others when he felt his heart stop…

The male saw the sunlight dance across Sassy's features. It radiated off her coat as if by magic and allowed Diego to get a really good look at her for the first time. The sun highlighted the female's dark golden coat and her perfect white fangs. The cuts and bruises from Sheba were still there but for some reason, they added to her beauty. They gave her a tough and feisty looking edge that Diego liked Something about the appearance of the female in the majestic red and yellow sunset somehow… changed his feelings for her. For once he didn't just think of her as a mentally disturbed, annoying pest but a real animal with feelings. The emotion was heightened when Diego─ still cold and muddy from the lake—saw Sassy happily playing tag with Sid and the others.

The big cat's mind went racing. Did he really love her? Was this just a by-product of all his anger and annoyance? Was he somehow venting his anger at the group by unconsciously forcing himself to find positive qualities in Sassy? And why were the feelings for her so strong so suddenly. Diego sighed. Now not only did he have the herd's separation, the demon sloth, and his current physical situation –smelly and wet—to think about, but also these strange new feelings.

* * *

Meanwhile, it had been over twelve hours since Ellie had disappeared. Manny's patience had run out with Basil and Talia.

"I asked you two… WHERE IS SHE!" he demanded loudly. The trees nearest Manny shook from the intensity of his voice.

"I told you! I don't know!" Basil almost yelled back. "If I knew I would have told you hours ago." They had been in this argument for a long time and all three mammoths were frustrated.

"Then what was the last thing she did—or said—before she left?" Manfred said, in an angry panic.

"She said, 'I heard a scream.' And then, 'I'll go check it out.' After that… she walked north into the woods." Talia recited for what may have been the 20th time. She spoke in a bored, slow manner.

Just then, Len walked up to the three with Samson in tow.

"Great. Two more people he's going to torment." Basil muttered, referring to Manny.

"Hey, guess what Len found!" Samson declared as he ran up to the Talia, Basil and Manfred; blue eyes glowing. He spoke in an unusually happy, upbeat manner.

"WHAT?" was Manny's loud, frantic response.

All hints of hope and joy melted into fear on Samson's face. Every hair and wrinkle on the older mammoth's face conveyed extreme anxiety. If it was possible, smoke would be coming out of Manny's head. But realistically, he was more likely to scare himself silly with all the possibilities of what could have happened to Ellie and faint.

Len stepped forward, perhaps to protect the smaller mammoth. The young bull cleared his throat. "I understand that you are upset Manny, but everything is alright. Ellie gave birth and is fine. I found her less than a half mile from here." Len said in a calm, even tone of voice. Len was trying his best not to send Manny on even more of an emotional roller-coaster with the news.

"Soshe'sokay?" Ellie's mate said without taking a breath.

"Yes." Len said in an even, pacifying voice. His fur lay flat on his back and he stood in a nonthreatening way. Len's posture and voice both seemed to somewhat calm the larger mammoth.

_'Thank the heavens. He's finally going to stop harassing us.'_ Basil and Talia both thought simultaneously.

"But before we meet Ellie, you should really to calm down more. She is still recovering from giving birth and I'm sure it wouldn't help to her to see you like this." Len advised the still-nervous pachyderm.

Manfred nodded quickly. For the first time in what felt like millennia, he began to feel less afraid for Ellie. Len seemed to have a gift for calming him in tough situations.

It took several minutes for Manny to partially regain his composure. As he calmed down, Ellie's mate began to experience a feeling of exhaustion—as well as excitement—wash over him. He was now a father!

The bull took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the event. "I'm ready." he declared, already feeling winded.

* * *

*Bull is another word for a male mammoth for those of you that don't know.

Sorry if this was too short. But I cut two chapters into one because I thought this was a great place to stop. Oh, and I know that Samson only had one line of dialogue basically. But no need to worry, in the next chapter I will make a point of giving him more.

And in case you're wondering there is nothing going on between Eddie and Diego. But there may be between Diego and Sassy. *hint hint*

Anyway, please R & R as always.


	12. A Herd: A Family

Another update! Yay! I think this may be my best chapter yet.

And a special thanks to PhantomWriter2.0 for beta reading my story for me.

Anywho, I do not own Ice Age. I will be saying that until the end of time… or at least until I finish this very long, going to be much LONGER, *coughs* errm… story.

* * *

The sun had passed its highest point over the horizon and was on its way down and Talia, Basil, Len, Samson, and Manny were on their way to Ellie. Samson could see that Manfred was still recovering; his coat was soaked with sweat and his stride seemed jittery.

Everyone remained quiet, apart from Len, who offered an occasional word of wisdom.

During the silence, Samson snuck over to Len.

"So…" he began. The small mammoth glanced at the others to make sure they weren't listening. "H-how do you think… um…Manny will react when you know…he sees that Samual and that squirrel helped Ellie deliver Peaches? Will he panic?" he asked with a shudder.

Len strained to hear the thin mammoth's voice; it almost inaudible but the older teen still picked it up. He was sure Samson didn't want anyone listening in on him. Len knew the slightly younger mammoth was aware that the situation with Scrat and Samual would be a surprise—even for Talia and Basil.

"I can't be too sure but I think I know how to calm him down again if necessary."

Samson frowned and nodded. "And what about how Manny knows you killed his son? Will that affect how he reacts?" he asked worriedly.

Len almost glared at Samson before his expression turned to that of deep remorse; the light chestnut-colored mammoth realized he had accidently hit a sore subject with Len.

"It already has." Len replied slowly, his voice conveying how much it hurt to talk about this. "You saw the way he was reacting to Ellie missing with Talia and Basil. Manny…he can't bear the thought of losing anyone again. My duty is to make it up to him… the best I can, even though I know his first family can't be replaced. As you know, I should have died when I was crushed after attacking Manfred's first mate. I know that the fact that I was born again—especially as an animal like a mammoth—speaks volumes to what I am fated to do with my life." Len cleared his throat and regained composure. "No need to worry about what will happen when we arrive. I'll handle it if anything comes up, as will Basil and Talia." he said reassuringly.

Samson observed that Len's hazel eyes no longer held a look of anguish but one of calmness; like before. It hadn't occurred to him, but when Len sees the reaction of Manny to his newborn daughter, the moment will likely be almost as big of a life-changing event for him as for Manny. Both of them will likely feel a huge burden off their shoulders when the group reaches Ellie and her newborn calf.

"Good," was all he managed to say in response to Len's long, heart-felt statement. The teenager's mouth felt dry and his head was spinning with the revelation he had just made. Though he wanted to, Samson couldn't find the right words… any words… to properly respond to what Len had said.

Suddenly, Samson jumped. He had a strong feeling someone was watching him. He scanned the thick pine forest for danger as the group walked, but instead of locating a predator, out of the blue, Basil stepped up beside Samson and gave him and Len a slow, steady nod of acknowledgement; it seemed the other pachyderm had heard his conversation with Len. As it turned out, Basil was the one giving him that feeling—not a predator.

* * *

Soon enough, the group arrived at the grassy clearing where Ellie was supposed to be.

But it was not Ellie's voice who greeted them, but Samual the caribou's.

"Hey ya guys. Ya would not believe what happened with Ellie." he said, approaching them. The odd caribou trotted right up to Manny, completely disregarding personal space.

Samual propped himself up on Manny's trunk and stared directly into the new father's eyes. "She was in pain, bleeding, ya know, in trouble, yelling, pushing and then-" Samual was visibly hyped up while he was speaking but not so much that he didn't emphasize every word that came out of his mouth with a dramatic pose.

Samson covered his face with his trunk when he realized what was happening. Samual's ignorant blabbering was bound to make Manny pummel, yell at—or worse—kill the insane animal accidently in a panicked frenzy. This was the mate and child of an anxious mammoth the caribou was talking about and whom Manny had gotten so worked up about not long ago.

Though the bull's eyes held a great degree of excitement and panic, he somehow managed to make a dry-humored remark. "—And then," he started, interrupting Samual, "a huge mammoth came along, whacked an idiot out of the way, and asked to see his child." he yelled angrily.

Manfred wrapped his trunk roughly around Samual. Samson uncovered his eyes in time to observe Len try to make a run to stop Manny in case the situation was worsening. But the older mammoth was too fast. He pulled the tawny brown and white caribou up to eye level, gave him a quick death glare and tossed him to the ground with a loud thud.

Samual was slightly dazed but unharmed to Samson's relief. On the other hand, Basil felt more than just a little frustrated with the crazy caribou and felt the need to push it further. He grabbed Samual by the girth and tossed him into a large, thorny rose bush.

The ungulate landed softly in the thick bush with an, "Oww! Wait... what? THORNS! Ow! Ouch! Ouch! Heeeellllppppp!"

"Serves you right, you crazy old deer. You are even more annoying than I am." Talia muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Now that he's out of the way…" Manny declared in a calm voice, "WHERE'S ELLIE!" he trumpeted; his voice louder by at least a hundred decibels.

Samson noticed that Len was quite shaken. Though he held his head high and kept his breath even, the young male noted that the larger teen's fur stood slightly on end and his trunk shook with nervousness as he motioned to show Manny Ellie's location.

For him the birth of Ellie's child was as nerve-wracking and important event as for Manny. The sincere moment when Manfred saw Ellie and her baby—a complete family—was what Len had lived for until now. His sole purpose in life: to fix what had been done wrong when the mammoth's old family was killed by his former tribe.

Samson's train of thought was broken when Ellie's reassuring voice filled the air. "Manny! I'm here!" she shouted to the group. She was walking beside her newborn daughter, who carried Scrat and an acorn on her back. Scrat squeaked and nuzzled the acorn. The calf squeaked happily back in response.

Manny felt a tremendous weight lift off his shoulders. He dashed to Ellie and embraced her in a long, loving hug. Ellie returned the gesture, smiling warmly at her mate.

Scrat hopped off of the baby's back and smiled at both the acorn in his paws and the reunited couple.

After a few moments, the new father unlocked trunks with Ellie and turned to his daughter; a look of immeasurable happiness and relief written on his face.

He gently lifted his daughter off the forest floor. "We should call her Ellie…. Little Ellie." Manny's voice, sincere expression, and the way he gently cradled his new daughter conveyed how much he cared for her.

"I've got a better idea…We should name her… Peaches." Ellie suggested, her expression softening. "She's orange, sweet, and covered in fuzz." she added, moving her trunk through the calf's fur.

Her mate beamed. "Peaches…" he repeated as if recording the name into memory while considering it. I love it."

Samson only realized that he was dreamily staring at the couple and their child when he heard a loud sob.

"Geez, why does this kind of thing have to always be so emotional?" Talia sniffled as she wiped tears from her eyes.

Samson felt his own eyes moisten as tears of happiness welled up in his own eyes. Basil held his eyes half lidded—attempting not to cry as he watched the heart-warming moment.

Len stood the closest to the new family. He had his head bowed and a joyous smile plastered on his face as tears flowed freely from his eyes.

Samson was awestruck by the normally calm and serious mammoth's reaction. It seemed that Peaches' birth had filled a hole in both Manny and Len's heart's. He couldn't help but feel a smile sneak onto his face.

Manfred turned to him and Len. "Thank you…for finding my wife and child." he spoke genuinely and without a hint of anger or aggression towards Len.

"No need to thank me. It is I who should be thanking you," Len said solemnly, "for giving me this opportunity to repair some of the damage I have done… and filling the hole your other family's death left in my heart."

The two gazed at each other knowingly, almost as if they loved each other as family. Samson thought they would embrace and shred more tears of joy, but someone's angry hollers of pain diverted the whole group's attention.

"Hey, what about me ya guys? I'm stuck in this darn plant over here! You guys threw me into a bush? Yow that stings! Didn't ya know I helped Ellie?" Samual yelled.

Basil was on the right, nearest to the cut-up caribou. The happy look on Basil's face was replaced by one of sternness. He stomped over to the bush and yanked out Samual harshly by the leg.

"Why'd you do that, ya overgrown fur ball? I helped Ellie too for Pete's sake!" Samual cursed at his rescuer. He was covered in thorns and his pelt was stained light red. Basil just frowned and sighed.

Ellie turned to her mate. "It is true." Manny gave her a surprised and questioning look. "He and the squirrel helped me through labor."

The notion that those two hooligans helped was ridiculous. "But how could—" Manny interjected.

"They did. Samual coached me through labor and…the squirrel," she paused, pointing at him, "─I wish I knew his name─ gave me herbs for the pain through the whole thing. If they weren't here, I don't know what I would have done." She smiled warmly at both Samual and Scrat.

Talia's face went blue as she held her breath to keep from bursting into voracious laughter at this crazy idea. She knew it would be wrong to laugh in this situation, even with her poor judgment. Len, Basil, and Samson exchanged awkward glances. But there was no questioning for Manny. What Ellie said was true. He had complete trust and faith in her. If she was certain they helped her, then it was fact and they deserved credit.

"I believe you Ellie. I guess I owe something to those two cantankerous … but uh…good-hearted mammals."

"I'd say so." Ellie replied in an 'I-know-what-happened' type voice. She didn't want there to be any doubt in the other mammoths' minds.

Manny left his wife's side and trudged over to Scrat. "Thanks little guy. Don't know what I would have done without you." he said appreciatively. His brown eyes radiated deep satisfaction and thankfulness for what the squirrel had done. Thinking about the squirrel…'_Haven't we crossed paths…before the herd was separated, when I was with Diego and Sid saving Roshan?_' the mammoth thought.

Manfred caught himself talking out loud. "I wish Diego and Sid had been here to see this." he said sadly. The bull even wished the possums had been there even though he would never dare say that.

Samson focused on Talia and Basil out of the corner of his eye. The gray-colored female was still trying to hold her breath; her eyes were bulging from their sockets and her cheeks were red and puffed up like a balloon. Talia looked about ready to die from lack of air or explode. Basil had his eyes squeezed shut with the biggest smile Samson had ever seen on his face. It was the sight of the silly young cow*, that he was trying to refrain from laughing at. Oddly, Samson didn't find it funny. He glanced back over to Manny, and then at Len—who was watching Manfred intently.

Manny snapped out of his daze and came up to Samual. The stag* was yanking thorns out of his fur one by one while cursing quietly.

"Samual…uh…thanks for what you did. I had no idea what you had done to help…when you know…you scared me half to death with that statement of what Ellie had gone through." Manny had trouble with sentimental conversation and it was showing here. He was shifting uncomfortably and struggling to give eye contact.

Samual plucked the 49th thorn out of his fur with disgust and shot it far into the forest using his mouth. "Yeah. Ya'd better be!" he yelled back angrily.

Just then, Basil walked up beside Samual. The young bull cleared his throat and took a few breaths to get the hilarious image of Talia out of his head. "It was me who threw you into the bush. Sorry, I didn't know you helped so much."

"You did that?" Samual said sternly. "Well now! You _are_ a mean bunch!" he said with narrowed eyes, addressing all of the mammoths but Ellie. "Might as well of done nothin' to help you guys out. Seeing as this is the kind of gratitude I get." The thorn-ridden caribou started to march into the forest angrily.

"Wait!" Ellie and Basil called after him, simultaneously. Basil rushed over to Samual. The stag stopped mid-walk with his back turned to everyone, his muscles tensed, and head drooped.

"Samual. I didn't mean to…It's just that…Manny was really worried about Ellie." The blue-eyed mammoth spoke with true sincerity and guilt—which was obvious in his voice. "She had been missing for hours." he continued. "When we heard you say what happened with Ellie in labor, we thought you had no idea about what was going on…and when you almost made Manny panic, I got really mad. Even after you were tossed aside, I was still not thinking straight. So I let my anger get control and threw you into the thorn bush. You didn't do anything wrong. You helped, you didn't hurt. I'm really sorry. I was-"

Suddenly, Samual turned around with a smile on his face. "That's enough kid. I get the picture. Ya didn't mean to. It was a mistake." Samual paused for a moment. "And me," he said gesturing to himself with a hoof, "I talk too much to hold a grudge. Brutal honesty is always the best policy." he continued, not making much sense. Still, everyone got the picture. Basil nodded, relief crossing his features.

Ellie took her turn to make her own apology. "I'm sorry for running off like that everyone. I knew I should have turned back sooner." she confessed.

"Hey. No big deal. What matters is that it all worked out." Manny replied calmly. "What counts is that we're back together now and we're a family." he said, turning his head to look at each and every single animal there. To the other group members' shock, he was not only acknowledging Ellie and Peaches as his family, but also them. Samson walked over and put her trunk on Samual's back to reassure him that he was still part of their weird group. Scrat smiled and squeaked, touched by everything going on. He was starting to feel like he really belonged with this odd bunch. He climbed onto Samson's back with his acorn. The short mammoth raised his head and grinned happily at the squirrel above. It appeared that he had gained a friend.

Manny took his spot beside Ellie and Len next to Manny. Talia and Basil went in back and shared a long, much needed laugh. Samual joined in despite the sharp thorns still painfully embedded in his flesh.

"Hey, whoever guesses how many thorns I have stuck in my fur after their pulled out wins an acorn."

Everyone laughed except Scrat who gasped; the squirrel protectively clutched his acorn tighter. However, when no one tried to take his acorn, the squirrel caught onto the joke. He began laughing as well in his extremely high-pitched voice.

The herd walked into the sunset.

Manny was right. They _were_ a family.

Still, Manny and Ellie knew they couldn't forget the rest of their herd on the other side of the rock wall. The group would have to find them—where ever they were…

* * *

Someone asked about why I called the animals cows or bulls, etc. so I thought I should explain what I was talking about.

* 'Cow' is the name for female mammoths.

*'Stag' for male caribou or deer.

What did you think? I pulled some dialogue from Ice Age 3 when Manny and Ellie chose a name for Peaches and altered it a bit. I also made the majority of this chapter according to Samson's point of view because I thought I wasn't giving him enough time in my stories. And he is supposed to be a pretty main character in this.

And if you have a chance, please _click_ the review button and give me some feedback. Thanks. *winks*


	13. Stories and Strife

Disclaimer: I DO not own Ice Age.

Longest chapter yet!

* * *

A full moon brightened the late evening sky. But for Diego, the day was not over. He was just returning to camp after a failed hunt.

He had his head low and was walking with a slight limp. The injuries from Sheba were still not fully healed. But the still-healing bruises and bites weren't on the top of the list for things bothering Diego. Neither was the embarrassment of prey escaping: something that would in normal circumstances, really got Diego irritated.

It was Sassy on the saber's mind. Ever since the sunset, the smilidon had not been able to rid himself of thoughts about her. How would he tell her he loved her?

Despite Diego's slow pace caused by exhaustion and his racing mind, he was soon back at camp. The saber could see Sid just up ahead. The sloth was telling the possums and Sassy stories of his great slothian heroism.

"-And with all the fire and the world ending, I still pulled the mammoth up from the huge canyon." Sid exclaimed. His optimistic voice made a sharp contrast with how Diego was feeling.

"By the tail!" Eddie asked. His were eyes wide and mouth was open in a dramatic fashion. The possums were making fun of the extremely unrealistic story along.

Diego stopped mid-step. He didn't feel ready to make his presence known yet.

"That's right." Sid answered the possums as he smiled with satisfaction.

"Or was it by its ear?" Crash asked, giggling.

"For all I know, it could have been a hair." Sassy said sarcastically. "And then the mammoth would have snapped under the weight. And Sid and the mammoth would have gone down, down, down and died. The end!" she said, rolling her eyes. She got up from her sitting position and started to walk away from the sloth.

Sid frowned. He was humiliated that this was just another story of his that no one believed.

The sloth began to follow Sassy as she stalked off. He was confused by how she acted repulsed by him since she had come out of her trance. "It just seems like you don't love me anymore Sassy. You swore that you loved me just an hour ago." Sid started, referring to how she had said she loved him while in the trance. Crash and Eddie laughed, adding to Sassy's humiliation when she heard this.

"Is it something I said?" Sid continued. "I feel so let down. I mean if we could talk about our issues that could be great. I mean, only a few hours ago you were in love with me seemed to think I was the handsomest sloth on Earth. You even wanted us to have kids... I think."

Sassy was outraged by what Sid had said and lost control of her behavior. Sid leapt back with a startled cry when Sassy tripped him and forced him to the ground. She lowered her head so Sid could see her menacing glare. With her fangs in his face, and blue eyes gleaming with fiery, the female smilidon looked ready to kill him.

"Don't you ever say that again! I would _never_ think of you that way!" she sputtered, not believing what the sloth had said. "-….or… or that... you were in the least bit more attractive than a pile of worms." She forced the words out. Her voice raw with anger and embarrassment.

"Sloth-sabers!" Eddie burst out enthusiastically. Sassy's head whipped around faster than he thought possible to give him an intense glare. "Sorry.. Wasn't my idea." he said meekly, cringing.

If Diego was going to show, he might as well do it now before things got more violent. He slinked out from the cover of the forest and took command of the skirmish.

"Sassy. Let go of Sid. Sid, keep your thoughts to yourself. Crash, Eddie, just stay quiet." Diego commanded them.

The four did as they were told. Crash and Eddie made a motion as if zipping their mouths and the female smilidon got off Sid. The sloth lay on the ground for a moment, hyperventilating.

Sassy turned to Diego to give him a wild and nervous stare before breaking eye contact. Diego sighed. This was the worst possible time to confess his love to Sassy.

The tiger stared into the sky as the rest of the group settled down for the night. Everyone else soon fell asleep, including Sid─ though he had received the shock of his life.

* * *

Hours passed and Diego couldn't sleep. The male glanced over to the she-saber sleeping. He lay on the ground several feet from Sassy. Diego took note of her toned, sleek figure, perfect long canines, and… for him, the list went on.

Diego went back to inwardly cursing at himself. He knew it was fool-hearty to think about her. If he ever found out the right way to tell her he liked her and _if _she happened to like him back, how would he stop her trances? Sassy's frequent crazy dream-like states would surely get both him and Sassy in trouble.

"Diego?" Sassy suddenly asked. Diego stopped thinking and turned his attention to the female smilidon.

"What?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm sounding.

"Who are the possums and insane sloth talking about in their sleep? They're talking about the same thing like they're sharing a dream." she informed.

Diego's ears swiveled toward the three. Sure enough, Sid was blabbering away in his sleep about himself, Manny, Pinky (a.k.a. Roshan) and Diego. Meanwhile, the possums were muttering things about Ellie, Manny, and something about how much of a wuss Diego was. At least, that was what it seemed they were talking about between tossing, turning and muttering random things that didn't make sense.

"You really want to know?" he asked. Diego was unsure if she would really want to hear the long and crazy tale of how he had met the rest of the herd.

"Why? Is it a story of some sort?" Sassy asked curiously.

"Well... yes." Diego said slowly. "But I-"

"Go ahead. I'd like to hear it." Sassy eagerly insisted.

Diego sighed. "Ok. I'll tell you. But it is a long story…." The female gave him an interested nod and Diego began the tale.

* * *

Meanwhile, most of the split herd on the side of the rock wall was socializing.

Basil and Talia were having a late-night vine-tying contest, Manny was spending time with Peaches, and Ellie was having a heart-felt talk with Samson. Meanwhile, Samual was already asleep for the night. Since Samson was Scrat's new friend─ or at least his new tree─ the squirrel was perched on him, giving his own squeaky feedback.

Len was left on his own looking at the stars. The mammoth was extremely satisfied with the way things had worked out with Manny but he still had so many questions about his life and future.

Whilst gazing at an odd white and red group of stars, a thought popped into his head. Who were the animals Manny and Ellie had mentioned that they needed to meet across the rock wall the earthquake had created. The possums, saber-toothed tiger, and sloth: who were they?

Len didn't know why a question so obvious hadn't come to mind before. But, at the same time, he wondered why something that seemed so trivial when compared to his current thoughts─ why he was reborn as a mammoth after he killed Manny's son─ came into his head at a time like this.

The mammoth peered over at Talia and Basil light-heartedly playing and then to Ellie and Samson who are in the midst of conversation. Len decided that he wanted to more about the sloth, possums, and so on that Manny and Ellie mentioned briefly during their travels.

Len quietly walked over to Ellie, stopping to stand in front of her. He cleared his throat, earning the attention of the female mammoth, Scrat, and Samson.

"Pardon me for interrupting, but who are the sloth, possums, and saber-toothed tiger you mentioned briefly? You said you… travel with them?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"The possums, Crash and Eddie, they're my brothers." Ellie replied. Len quirked an eyebrow. There had to be more to this odd statement than yet the eye.

"The saber tooth's and sloth's names are Sid and Diego." she continued. "They were friends of Manny before I met him."

This was quite a bit of strange information for Len to digest. Possums a mammoth's siblings? And Manfred, a short tempered mammoth with a conservative attitude… not just traveling with a carnivore… but friends with one?

Samson seemed to be rapidly gaining interest in the subject. He stared at Ellie with a baffled, yet curious look on his face.

"I don't mean to pry but, c-could you tell us more?" he asked nervously. Scrat nodded and squeaked atop Samson's back.

"Sure!" Ellie replied instantaneously. She was more than happy to tell the story. "Talia. Basil, come over here! I have a story to share with you."

The two teenagers stopped their vine-tying game. The vines Talia had been handling looked like a tangled clump of spaghetti compared to Basil's that were neatly knotted.

"We can continue this tomorrow." Talia told Basil.

"Sure. Whatever you say. You have a natural talent for tangling things up anyway." he replied as the two sat down to hear the tale in front of Ellie.

Manny─ who stood a short distance away from Ellie beside Peaches─ heard in on that his mate was planning to do. He did not leap at the idea of anyone telling the newcomers the complete tale of their adventures this late at night. "Ellie. Can't we save this for another time? It's late. Plus you just gave birth to Peaches today. You need to rest."

This gave Ellie a bright idea. "Why don't you tell them then?" Peaches─ who sat close to her father─ squeaked happily as if agreeing with her Ellie.

Manfred replied to his mate with a drowsy, "Huh?"

"Who better is there to tell Samson, Len, Talia, and Basil how our herd came to me than you? You were there for the whole time. You were around when you met Sid and Diego and later on when you met me."

"No Ellie. I-"

"If you don't tell them I will." Ellie interjected. "Plus didn't you want me getting some shut-eye?" Ellie added, knowing she was about to win this argument.

Talia and Scrat looked at Manfred with big eyes, begging him to give him. Peaches tugged on his fur as if also trying to convince him.

The mammoth sighed. Was there ever a time he didn't get out-witted or convinced to do things he didn't want to when he was around Ellie? It also seemed like his daughter was already taking after her mother in this area.

"Ok. I'll tell you." Manny said with a sigh. "But if anyone falls asleep while I'm talking _besides_ Peaches and Ellie, the story-telling will stop for the night. Understand?"

Talia cheered and Samson and Basil nodded. To Manny's distaste, Samual suddenly woke up from his slumber.

"Story?" he blurted. The caribou perked up, all hints of sleepiness gone. "I'd love to hear it!" he shouted. He seated himself next to Talia who jerked away from the annoying mammal slightly.

The group gave him a glare, nonverbally reminding Samual not to annoy Manny.

"And don't ya worry. I'll be quiet." the caribou announced. The group breathed a sigh of relief.

Manfred drew back and prepared to tell the tale. Ellie smiled, happy that her stubborn mate had given in without any more of a fuss.

"The first part is how I met Sid and Diego" Manny began. "It all started with a baby from a human herd…"

* * *

Hours passed as the two parts of the oddball herd told their stories. It was the middle of the night by the time Diego finished telling Sassy the tale of how all he had met Sid and Manny and how Ellie and the possums came into the picture.

"Wow!" Sassy exclaimed when Diego concluded. "I had no idea you had that much history with Sid, Crash, Eddie, and the mammoths." She got up and laid down closer to Diego. "You know, when I met you, I thought all you were just a crazy male tiger so desperate to find a mate that you traveled with the sloth and possums because you were all outcasts females would never fall for."

"What gave you that idea?" Diego asked with only slight irritation.

"I dunno." Sassy replied with a yawn. "…Experience with guys?"

Diego grinned. He liked her odd logic. "I'd say you have a lot of that." he replied lightheartedly. The male smiled and gazed into her eyes affectionately for a short moment. Diego was trying to subtly hint that he liked her.

The female smilidon gave him a playful smile. "You know… you're different."

The word Sassy used to describe Diego was… 'different'. In a good way or bad? The male saber wondered in what way she meant. Still, he kept a calm demeanor.

"I'd say so." Diego replied, turning away slightly. He stubbornly pretended to be uninterested in her since she hadn't made it clear whether or not she had picked up his hint. He couldn't let her know his feelings now and make a fool out of himself if she meant 'different' in a negative way.

Sassy giggled. "Yeah. You're different more ways than you could possibly imagine."

The male saber tooth tiger suddenly found himself very interested in what she meant by that. "How?" he asked.

"In the way you go about stuff. You're not a bachelor hoping to get a harem of girls during the mating season or bent stiff on becoming the alpha of a pack. You're not typical and I like that." The words rolled off Sassy's tongue without much effort.

Diego smiled slightly and loudly cleared his throat as placed his paw on her's. It was a way of saying, 'I love you.' without clearly stating it.

Sassy pulled her paw away and grinned at him mischievously. "I like you too but let's give it more time."

Diego liked her way of going about this, subtle and romantic, yet rebellious. But the male smilidon didn't have a chance to reply with an equally witty comment of his own.

Sid emitted a loud gargling sound in his sleep followed by the slurred sentence, "Diego… loves Sassy. I… ugh…. mmm knew it Pinky."

Sassy instantly roared and jumped on the Sid. She pressed one of her front paws down on his neck and covered his mouth with the other to prevent him from screaming. Luckily for Sassy, her roar didn't wake the possum brothers up.

Diego dashed over to her and Sid. "Let go of him now!" he commanded Sassy in a harsh whisper. Though he was yearning for almost everything else about her, Diego still didn't like the sometimes violent, unpredictable nature of her personality. Whilst this was going on, Sid's eyes were wide with terror.

The female smilidon glanced at Diego and then back to Sid. She let go of the poor sloth that coughed and gagged.

"W-what happened?" he wheezed, trembling in the predators' presence.

Diego stepped between the female saber and sloth to prevent another outburst. He gave Sassy a menacing glare before addressing the sloth.

"Relax Sid. Nothing bad is going to happen. It's just that- "

"You heard in on that I love Diego correct?" Sassy interjected.

"Sassy!" Diego shouted, trying to stop her from continuing with this.

But sloth horrified didn't seem to hear him. "WasItalkingaboutitinmysleep? Sid asked Sassy in one breath.

"Quiet!" Sassy yelled. "…Please." she added, realizing that she was overdoing it. "Just answer me. Did you hear that I loved Diego?" Diego shot her a disgruntled look.

"No. I didn't hear anything of the kind!" Sid shouted. ", 'I love you'!" Sid exclaimed, panicked.

"Sid, stop! Seriously, I don't believe that you just randomly said that in your sleep. I know you somehow heard that I love Diego and that he loves me back." Sassy replied, not believing the petrified sloth.

"But I didn't! I was dreaming of Diego and Pinky! Just now was first time you ever said you loved Diego." Sid protested, a little less petrified.

"Listen. I don't know if heard me for sure but you definitely know about it somehow. Please… just don't tell anyone." Sassy begged. She had already gone through enough humiliation with the sloth saying embarrassing things about her and the possums teasing her about it.

"Or you'll kill me? Or you'll tell Sheba to kill me?" Sid shouted, fearing the worst. ", but please don't! I taste like fungus I swear!" Sid cried, covering his eyes.

Diego realized the sloth wasn't going to calm down on his own. "Sid. She _is not_ going to kill you." he assured Sid softly. "She…" Diego paused as tried to explain that Sassy overreacted in a way that would not offend her or Sid. "… misunderstood what was going on."

"You- you _mean_ it?" the sloth asked. "You mean no more sloth abuse?" Sid put his paw on his chest, trying to catch his breath. He glanced nervously at both saber toothed tigers.

"Yes Sid." Diego replied.

Sassy nodded. "No more attacking. I admit it… D-Diego's right about how I misunderstood. I… I'm sorry for attacking you like that." she forced herself to say.

"You …_are_?" Sid asked disbelievingly.

"Yes." the female saber tooth replied. He eyes no longer held a look of anger and she spoke with sincerity.

"O-ok. Two attacks in one night. Wow." Sid said as if ready to faint from shock. "… I-I think it will be a LONG time before I trust you again Sassy." he stuttered.

"Go to sleep Sid." Diego told the sloth. "I promise she won't wake you like that again."

Sid nodded and sighed in relief.

At that, Diego walked up to female with a frown. "We need to have a serious talk about this."

Sassy looked at Sid guiltily and nodded. She was ready for whatever Diego had to say about her behavior and any punishment that went with it.

* * *

"…And that was how Diego, Sid, Crash, Eddie, Ellie and I met and became a herd." Manny finished. The story Manfred told, Talia, Len, Basil, Samual, Samson, and Scrat about how he ended up traveling with bunch of misfits had taken up most of the night. It was now very early morning.

Samual reared on its hind legs and excitedly shouted, "Wow! That was one awesome story. And just to think, it wasn't made up." Samual grinned. Though he believed what Manny had said, it still sounded too crazy to be true.

"I never imagined anything like that had happened." Samson said to Manny. "The flood… well, that's just incredible!" The young mammoth was deeply amazed and interested in what the Manny had just told everyone.

Len, Talia, and Basil nodded in agreement. They were all shocked to hear a story like that come from such a temperamental animal with such a strong dislike of adventure.

Manny shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to all this attention on him. "It's true." he said after a pause. "I belong to a herd of… misfits, like it or not." he added, rolling his eyes.

Scrat ─ who still sat on next to Samson─ suddenly started making choking sounds and odd gestures. He motioned for the group to focus their attention on him.

"Hey. I think the squirrel has something more to say about what happened when you all met." Samson announced, completely changing the subject.

Scrat had indeed been doing some of the story-telling as well. He had been doing many motions as gestures to demonstrate what happened during the time Manny and the others had met and become a herd. He acted out the charades game when Sid and Manny were trying to ask him if they had see humans on their quest to return Roshan to his tribe. Also, he tried to tell them about the time he got hit by lightning when he went to the top of a tree during a rain storm, when he was climbing gargantuan glaciers to get an acorn, and the time during the flood where he karate-punched piranhas unconscious.

Of course, not only did the bunch not understand what Scrat was trying to say, but he made an idiot out of himself in the process. Still, the mammoths and caribou tried not to laugh and to act mature.

"Ok." Manfred replied to Samson somewhat irritably. "But this is the last thing he will act his part of the story out tonight."

The young mammoth nodded. Talia smiled widely in anticipation of what the squirrel would do next.

Scrat climbed up tall tree with his acorn and stretched his arms and legs as far as they would go. It looked painful as well as comical. Then the branches he was holding onto snapped and he was launched into the air with the acorn. He screamed as he fell back down and hit the ground with a thud along with the acorn. The squirrel brushed himself off and then fell back on the ground with a choking sound.

Len was about to go rush over to make sure he was ok. But Scrat opened his eyes a tad and made a 'stop' signal. He waved at the group as if saying, "Come here.", and pointed to Samson.

"What's going on?" some of the mammoths muttered.

Samson stayed planted where he was unsure of himself until Scrat gestured to him again. The mammoth was even more confused when the squirrel pointed to Samson's mouth and then his own as he made more gagging sounds.

Samson scratched his head. "You have something stuck in your mouth?" Samual and Talia burst out laughing.

Scrat shook his head and repeated the gesture. "You're choking?" Samson asked, somewhat alarmed.

The squirrel shook his head no again. Len and Manny glanced at each other and then to Scrat, perplexed. He again pointed to his mouth and then at Samson's.

"Umm…" the young mammoth said with a disgusted yet amused expression. "Kissing?" he whispered, fighting not to laugh. Talia and Basil began to giggle uncontrollably.

"Let me guess." Samual cut in. "Somethin' with CPR?"

Scrat jumped up and down squeaking uncontrollably as if Samual had just answered the one billion dollar lottery question correctly.

The group stared at the caribou in disbelief. They wondered how an animal with the intellect of Samual had managed to figure out the answer to what Scrat was acting out. When the caribou noticed the other seven animals waiting for an explanation, he just shrugged.

After everyone was focused back on him, Scrat drew a picture of a sloth in the dirt and made a karate yell. He kicked and attacked the drawing whilst screaming and yelling.

After the picture was thoroughly messed up and battered, Scrat squeaked, "Taaadaaa", in his high pitched voice. He also struck a dramatic pose.

"Ok. That's enough for one night." Manny said to Scrat. He was mildly amused. "It seems like he was trying to say something about Sid giving him CPR…. which I really don't want to get more into."

The rest laughed at this as they put two and two together about what that would look like.

"Enough children." he responded in a more serious tone.

Samual glared at Manfred. "I'm not a kid. Ya know that I-" Samual blurted.

"Let's get to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." Manfred finished, ignoring the caribou. He was about to lumber back to his sleeping spot beside Ellie and Peaches when Len shouted, "Wait!"

Manny turned his large brown head around.

"I have a bad feeling about the future." Len said suddenly. Basil and Talia turned abruptly to him with frowns on their faces and fear in their eyes. Though the rest of the group didn't understand what Len meant, Talia and Basil knew exactly he was getting at.

Manny disregarded what Len said. Tiredly, the older mammoth replied, "Len. We all have bad feelings sometimes. It's late. Let's get some sl-"

Len rushed to the worn out bull. "No Manny. This is serious." Len replied urgently. Len noticed the look of disbelief and annoyance on the older mammoth's face. The young mammoth realized he was too hasty and lowered his head. "I apologize. I know it is very late. I would have told you sooner about my prediction but this just came up. Please let me explain what I am talking about."

Basil sighed. "I know now is a bad time. But I think you should know my friend has ESP." Basil added. Samson and Samual exchanged looks of confusion.

Talia stepped forward. "When he says something very good or horrible is around the corner, it is always true!" she shouted. She looked Manny straight in the eye without any hint of humor in her voice as she told him this.

"Yeah. And annoying kids who get delusional when they stay up too late grow on trees." Ellie's mate yelled back irritably. He didn't believe a word the three kids were saying.

"He was right about the time a group of cave lions attacked, a bunch of humans tried to kill my little sister, and when he guessed there was a food ten miles to the Northeast in the coldest winter ever." Talia rambled. The young mammoth scratched her head. "…Oh, and about the water shortage down South during last year's migration."

Samual stepped in front of Manfred. "Manny. I think they're serious pal. This is the real deal. They aren't tryin' to trick or play with ya." he informed the mammoth worriedly.

The large mammoth just glared at the caribou. He attempted to step around Samual but the caribou blocked him. However, Manny could have easily stampeded over the small ungulate if he had wanted.

Samson had a feeling Len was not lying. He wanted to get Manny's attention before he got past Samual. "This could be something really important. Like something that has to do with Ellie or even the safety of your daughter..." Samson piped in, trying to grab Manfred's attention.

The small pachyderm heard the larger brown mammoth sigh in exasperation. "I know this came up suddenly and it seems crazy. ….But I know Len and Basil and Talia have known him even longer. He doesn't just get this upset so easily without a really good reason." Samson explained.

"You really need to know Manny." Len begged. Scrat nodded as he hopped up and down. Len could be predicting a horrible thing that could happen to his acorn.

"OK!" the older mammoth yelled, giving up. He turned to face Len with an angry glare. "This better be worth my time."

"I sense that something that puts our lives in jeopardy will happen tomorrow. Something that has to with-."

Every hair in Manny's coat suddenly stood straight giving him a scared fat cat-like appearance.

"Including Ellie and Peaches?" he demanded, allowing himself to listen believe them for a second and get hyped up.

"No." Len answered sadly. "With all of us. …And when we meet up with the rest of your herd. Some kind of big event. I sorry but don't know-"

Samual cut Len off midsentence. "Spit it out will ya? Tell us the rest of it!" Samual hollered, oblivious that the mammoth was still talking.

"As I was saying," Len continued, "I'm afraid I do not know exactly what will happen at this point in time. I'm sorry about this." He took a deep breath. "… But what I have said is the truth. Something horrible will happen tomorrow and that will carry onto when Sid and Diego show up." he stated. The mammoth glanced at the others. "I don't mean to alarm any of you. But I am being honest. From experience, I can say that there is an extremely large chance my prediction is right." Len's ears drooped. He was noticeably guilty for not being able to give more information.

However, Manfred was not convinced. "Hmmph. I don't buy it." he huffed. Manny angrily marched off. Since Len couldn't even pinpoint what was about to happen or give any evidence, it couldn't be true. He wasn't going to get worked up about some far-fetched hearsay that just came out of the blue. 'They are just playing a game. Probably something Talia made up to get a strong reaction from me.' he thought.

Len watched gravely as Manfred walked away. "Please hear me out. Keep your eyes peeled for anything amiss. This isn't just about Peaches and Ellie. It is about all your friends, your whole herd. Listen for once!" he shouted desperately.

But by the time the group caught up with Manny, they were back in camp. The stiff-necked bull gave the group a glare and clamped his ears hard against his head so he couldn't hear them. The brown mammoth then lay down beside Ellie and Peaches who were sleeping.

Talia gestured with her trunk for Len to talk to her near a lone pine tree away from the sleeping mammoths. Len met her at the base of the tree with Samual, Scrat, Basil, and Samson who were eager to hear in on what she had to say. "Shouldn't we still try to convince Manny some for?" she asked.

"No." Len replied. "If we try to push it further, it could complicate things more. Manny's not going to let up." he said sadly.

"But our lil' herd won't be prepared if we don't tell anyone else since Manny is bein' hard-headed an' stubborn. Everythin' will just happen like ya never predicted anythin'." Samual explained.

Basil noted with distaste that the tawny-colored caribou was leaving even more bits out of words he spoke than usual. Still, Len's friend agreed with Samual. "If we don't try to convince Ellie to believe us, then what use is it trying to do anything about what you predicted in the first place Len? When disaster strikes, Manny and Ellie won't be prepared. If we can at least get Ellie to believe us, we have more hope of getting a plan together to save them as well." he added.

Scrat nodded and squeaked in agreed. The squirrel eagerly pointed to his acorn to emphasize that it might need saving too. 'Why it all the gloom and doom always about that squirrel's nut?' Talia thought.

"You all are right." Len declared. Each animal had a good point aside from Scrat. "Let's explain this to Ellie at sunrise. Then we'll try to form a plan with her if we can get her to trust us. We-"

"Make sure she doesn't tell Manny that she knows about Len's prediction and our plans!" Samson blurted, clearly worried.

"Don't worry. We'll all make sure she knows not to tell him unless he becomes willing to cooperate or we absolutely have to." Basil assured Samson.

The rest of the animals nodded in agreement.

With an idea formed of what to do in Samual, Samson, Len, Scrat, Talia, and Basil laid down to sleep. They knew they had little time to rest before morning came. Also, that how they planned for the upcoming event could mean the difference between life and death for all of them.

* * *

What do you think? I thought the beginning of this chapter was not very good. But think the rest was ok and I did put in a cliff hanger and foreshadowing. *hint hint*

The part with Scrat acting out Sid doing CPR on him was actually a reference to the end of Ice Age 2 where Scrat almost drowned and Sid gave him CPR to save him. Unfortunately, Scrat started beating him up afterward in the movie. lol

Anyway, please review if you read this. I'm lacking on motivation at the moment with how few reviews I got last chapter. So even if your review is just a one-liner, I'll be happy.


	14. Putting it All Together

Another long chapter! Yay! This chapter is kind of a filler to explain what is going on before some BIG events happen. *hint hint*

Also sentences in _italics_ are the character's thoughts.

Oh, I don't own Ice Age.

* * *

For six certain mammals, morning came all too soon. Talia, Len, Basil, Samson, Scrat, and Samual would have ordinarily been tired after staying up into the wee hours of morning. However, when Manny had announced that it was time for everyone to get up, they were far from sluggish and fatigued.

The group felt an overwhelming sense of urgency. Samson felt like he had never slept and time had picked up from where it had left off when Manny marched off angrily last night.

As well, Manfred's attitude toward the six was far from welcoming. As the herd gathered their breakfast, he had his eyes glued to the six—namely Len, whom he stared at with contempt.

Of course, Ellie was also on his mind. Between glares at the other herd members, Manny focused on his mate and adorable daughter, Peaches.

Basil was munching on a group of saplings away from the others. He noticed the bull seemed very defensive of Peaches with Len close by. Manfred glared at Len whenever the younger mammoth met his gaze. He also kept looking back at Peaches, as if to make sure she was still there. It wasn't hard to guess that Manny was thinking the death of his son whom Len was responsible for. Basil was far from on the best of terms with the large, worried mammoth but he could still understand somewhat what Manny was going through. Still, he foraged in wordless thought and contemplation.

Ellie noticed the distance Manfred had put between her and the others. _Or is it was the other way around?_ The female mammoth saw Samson shoot a wild, nervous glance at her and Manny every so often.

Talia and Samual stood away from the others with their backs to Ellie's mate as if they wanted to avoid him and keep to themselves. Basil was the only animal close by but he appeared to be in a world of his own—lost in thought as he mindlessly shoved foliage into his mouth. Ellie quirked an eyebrow. _Something strange is going on here_.

"Manny?" Ellie finally broke the silence. There had been an unusual amount of it this morning, especially considering Peaches' joyous arrival into the world just yesterday. Her daughter's squeaks and occasional laughter were the only audible sounds besides the chirping of birds. "…What's wrong?" she asked after a lengthy pause. She had a gut feeling something had happened during the night that she had not witnessed.

"I… uh…" Manny's focus shifted completely from his surroundings and the other six mammals to Ellie's question. He knew he wouldn't be able to create a good story to cover up all the obvious clues this morning that conveyed that something major had happened last night. His mate also had great intuition. She could so easily guess what Manfred was thinking that it shocked him sometimes.

But he had to think of something—anything—that made sense! The crazy prediction Len had made that would surely scare Ellie. As well, he wasn't about to tell her, what was in his opinion, a hunch Len had blown out of proportion.

"I… The story about how our herd met from last night. … It didn't go so well." the pressured mammoth managed. He looked at Ellie guiltily, hoping Ellie would buy that he had done something to upset the group by accident. Manfred hoped he could come up with a convincing false story to explain everything from there without relaying what actually occurred.

"What happened?" Ellie asked, somewhat worried. Peaches cluelessly stared up at her parents with a huge smile glued on her face.

Hesitantly Manny continued. "Well…Everyone was sort of—"

Ellie's attention suddenly shifted to Scrat, who was making frantic gestures in a tree. He was jumping up and down, waving furiously, and scurrying about. He was very careful to do so without making much noise. Not one squeak, grunt, or groan came from his lips.

"Uh… Wait a moment. I gotta ask Samual why he told me he thought we were goin' the wrong direction to the rock wall." she burst out. Ellie was not lying. The caribou had mentioned this to her. Ellie was grateful she was lightning fast at coming up with ways to explain situations, or in this case, to find out what was _really_ going on; based on the obvious signs, coupled with Scrat's behavior. On the contrary, Manny's mind went to a crawl when he had to pull off something like Ellie just had, all that came out of his mouth were fragmented, jumbled-up sentences.

"Why?" Manny called back to her.

"Because he said we missed some kind of big passageway across." she yelled back. "Stay there with Peaches. I won't be long!" Ellie called over her shoulder. The she-moth took off the moment she had asked her mate to wait while she talked to Samual. Manny was left with no time to catch up with her unless he wanted to leave his daughter behind.

When Ellie caught up to the pine tree Scrat was perched in, the squirrel scurried down. He squeaked and waved to her to follow him. The squirrel scampered along as Ellie walked just behind him.

In no time, they were in a grassy clearing. Samual, Samson, Talia, and Len were gathered there waiting.

Ellie cast a concerned look at the mammoths and caribou. Scrat rushed up to Len; hyperventilating. He grunted and stretched his arm out so far to point to the tall mammoth that it looked like it would fall off.

Len gazed grimly at her.

"Okay. What's goin' on?" Ellie asked, somewhat frazzled by the frenzied manner in which Scrat had gestured for her to follow him and the melancholy animals around her.

Len slowly stepped forward and lowered his head. "There is something very important you need to know—a great danger is upon us." he said gravely. "You probably don't know much of my story. Only the very little you know from Manny."

Ellie's eyes widened. "Whatever you need to tell me, please go ahead." she said with genuine concern.

Len raised his head and spoke in a tone that was low, bleak, and depressed. "I...I was the one who killed the mammoth-Manfred's calf." Len paused. "You already know that…but there is more." he choked out. Despite feeling a tad better about his past after Peaches was born, it still haunted him. "Humans were on a cliff throwing rocks at Manny's mate and child. I belonged to the same tribe those other humans did. As they threw rocks, I stood by them waiting to spear Manfred's mate and end it…" The mammoth paused again, his eyes filled with grief. "...But I stood too close to the edge of the cliff. A slipped off the cliff and fell. I tried to escape but before I knew it, a stone my tribe threw hit the calf and it tumbled toward me. He fell on me and I had my spear pointed straight up at the time. The spear went through the calf's neck and killed it instantly. I hadn't meant to kill him. Our hunting party was going for the mother. We planned to spare her offspring so it could grow into a mammoth that could provide us with much meat someday. However, I was the one in charge of delivering the final blow with my spear." Len looked into the sky blankly as he told them the painful memory that changed his life. "... When I killed her child, the mother tried to stand up and throw me aside. A boulder fell on her and she accidently crushed me. The last thing I heard was the loud blare when she was killed and my life ended...The next thing I knew, I was born into the body of a male mammoth calf, a newborn that had been presumed dead for almost a day." The mammoth paused, scanning the other animal's faces for looks of disbelief. "I brought life to that baby with my spirit. It took me a while to figure out who I was and to learn the languages of animals after I began to inhabit the mammoth's body. I had never realized—as a hunter—what animals were like and what they were capable of emotionally or intellectually...But my past has never left me...I have been about as I am today since I was reincarnated as a mammoth. To my mother I am a blessing for I am a spirit that gave her child life even if I am a human spirit. But to me, it is a curse. I should have died with those two so long ago. But I did not and I still feel like I have yet to figure out why I am here after Peaches' birth, even though it has given me some closure."

Samson hung his head. He recalled how he had lost his herd to humans. Scrat jumped onto his head and tried to force him to smile by tugging at his cheeks.

Talia was quiet and distraught. Samual, who had not known Len before Manny and Ellie had his jaw dropped comically in shock. Ellie just stood there, wide-eyed. She had known that Len was once a human who had killed Manny's first child but not in such detail…

Len gave his head a good shake. "But enough about my past. I trailed off quite a bit." he admitted. "I know what I am about to tell you next will also be quite shocking. But—"

"Finally to the point!" Samual blurted. Talia and Basil both scowled at the ungulate.

Len heaved a sigh. "As I was saying, I have some very bad news. I have the ability to see into the future at times, although, often these predictions are vague. In this instance, I can tell you without a doubt that something terrible will happen in these next few days—beginning this afternoon. You will meet up with the rest of your herd Ellie…However; I can say it will be far from a heartfelt and happy reunion at first. Danger will be lurking around you. What it is exactly, I cannot say. I have ESP and what I am telling you is not a lie."

"I just realized! Len is like a Mary-Sue!" Samual exclaimed. "He has an overly dramatic history an' superpowers!" he declared with a grin as if he hadn't taken a word of Len's speech seriously.

The group sent the caribou a mixed bunch of clueless looks and glares to 'shut up'.

"What the heck is a Mary-Sue?" Talia blurted. The female mammoth noticed Ellie and Scrat looking at both her and Samual as if she was crazy. She quickly cleared her throat. "…Never mind, continue…" The hyperactive female shifted her attention back to the Len.

"Ellie… I was trying to tell Manny this, the part about the prediction at least. It was after he had finished telling us all the story of how your herd met. It was late at night and the prediction came up suddenly. Talia and Basil know about my ability to see things in the future. We all tried to convince him but he did not believe us and became upset." The mammoth sighed once more. "I know this is shocking and far-fetched but we need your help. Furthermore, please don't tell Manny anything about our meeting or what we told you unless you must. He could easily set us back on any plans we make to deal with the upcoming situation."

"I promise I won't tell Manny… But are you sure that something is going to happen? It's not just a bad feeling is it?" Ellie questioned. The female mammoth didn't comment on it but she didn't feel like it was totally Len's fault that Manny's first child was dead. As the mammoth had stated, he had fallen and he had thrust his spear into the youngster by accident. He was aiming for the mother, not the baby. Also, not only had the young mammoth died but Len was also killed. Ellie knew this was an extremely touchy subject: a topic to discuss at a later time.

"No." Samson replied bluntly. His voice took on a gentler—although serious—tone. "Talia, Basil, and I have known Len for a _long long_ time. He is not an ordinary mammoth. I know it is hard but _please_ trust us." Samson pleaded.

Ellie fell quiet for a moment, pondering what Len had said and assessing the large amount of information she had just received.

After a lengthy silence that had begun to make the group worry, she gave the group a serious look. "I, myself once thought I was a possum so I, out of all mammoths, know things are not so cut and dry in this world all the time. I don't see how trusting you can hurt, especially since you say this is so serious." Ellie paused. "Len. I trust you. But only for this one time unless I see for myself that what you predict is really true."

The group heaved a gargantuan sigh of relief. Despite the crazy story and the explanation of Len's psychic abilities, she still managed to consider what they had stated as having the potential to be true.

Ellie turned to speak to the whole group. "So," she continued, "now that everything has been explained to me, we can't just sit around and let something bad happen right? We've got to come up with something. That's why you told me in the first place isn't it?" She glanced around the circle of animals to see if they were on the same page as she was.

"Exactly!" Samual exclaimed instantaneously in a dead serious voice. The caribou lightened up. "That's why we're tellin' ya'll this in the first place. Ol' Manny won't listen to us and we all need all the help we can get. Plus, we don't want to see somethin' horrible happen to ya, Peaches, or ya stiff-necked mate either!"

Ellie nodded. "Ok then. Let's do this everyone!" she declared.

"By the way!" Samual blurted once more. "I found a way across the rock wall. We were headin' in the opposite direction of it. As in, we were goin' the wrong way. We're gonna have to fix that too!"

The animals nodded, also taking this into consideration. At that, they huddled together as they discussed how they would deal with the upcoming event Len foretold.

* * *

Meanwhile, Manny was with Peaches, who had fallen asleep in his trunk.

Basil was still foraging nearby and keeping an eye on the moody mammoth. The teenager noticed Manfred glancing around uneasily. No doubt the adult pachyderm was wondering why Ellie was taking so long. Basil continued grabbing small trunkfuls of vegetation, trying to look he was eating as casually as possible. He didn't want the bull following Ellie to the meeting with the others. It was unlikely the Manny would move with baby Peaches sleeping comfortably in his trunk which forced him to lie down. Still, Basil eyes' seldom wandered from Manfred─ just in case.

Fortunately for the young bull, Manny didn't demand to know what was going on. Instead, he just lay with his daughter and wondered silently about Ellie's whereabouts.

* * *

As he slept, Diego felt the brush of claws against his pelt as someone nudged and prodded him repeatedly. The subconscious saber growled and rolled over, but the unpleasant pushing continued and became more intense. Diego opened his green eyes groggily. Sassy was right in front of him.

"Diego! Wake up already! It's almost noon! And I just got word that Sheba is near." the female explained worriedly as she gave him one final extra hard nudge.

The saber got up and stretched slowly. Almost noon? And Sheba was close by? The saber knew they should have left camp much earlier. Manny was probably worried sick and Ellie had surely given birth by now.. This couldn't be good. The slightly drowsy smilidon turned to the female.

"Sassy! Why didn't you wake me sooner?" Diego scolded. "Sid has probably woken up by now! Also, if we don't make good time, who knows if we are going to be able to catch up with Manny and Ellie at the other side of the wall." he added with distaste. "Also, about Sheba… -"

He was suddenly cut off by a high-pitched and annoying voice. "Hola! Rise'n shine tigey wigey!" Sid shouted enthusiastically. The sloth poked Diego on the side of the face hard making him wince.

"Is he awake yet?" Sid asked Sassy. She gave him an odd look.

Diego scoffed. "What does it look like? I'm standing up, eyes open… Does it look like I'm sleeping to you?" he growled irritably.

The orange smilidon yawned widely and gave his stiff muscles one final stretch. "So…" he continued, ignoring his fungusy friend. "It would be smart to get going as soon as possible since you heard that demented she-sloth is nearby."

"Yeah...about that. I swear I would have woken you up sooner but I just got the message from a friendly raccoon who just told me." she explained. Sassy frowned. She realized she had disappointed Diego by letting him sleep in and not just because Sheba was a dangerously short distance away. Sassy had a feeling he always wanted to be an early riser.

She blushed slightly beneath her fur. "Plus you looked so tired." Sassy would have added that Diego also looked cute when he was sleeping but left that out for dignity's sake.

Crash and Eddie suddenly appeared, hanging upside down from a large sapling.

"Dually noted!" Eddie chimed in, grinning mischievously.

"It's like you and Sid changed places this morning!" Crash teased whilst giving Diego a goofy look.

"Yep! He was even snoring!" Eddie added with a smug grin. Crash dropped into Eddie's arms with his eyes closed, snoring as he pretended to sleep. "Rock-a-by baby on the tree top!" Eddie rocked his brother back and forth. Diego shot them a look of hatred and embarrassment.

The obnoxious brothers burst out laughing. They smiled and gave each other high fives.

It was Diego's turn to feel so furious that he wanted to attack one of the herd members. A ferocious growl boiled up from his throat. Glaring daggers at the two and imagining himself ripping them apart, he uttered a low, roar-like "try me!"

Sid—who was watching the two possums confusedly until now—realized there might be danger. "Is it time to run?" he asked the possums anxiously. He put one foot on the ground in front of the other and placed his arms at his sides in a stationary running position. The sloth was ready to begin a waddling-sprint away from them if necessary. He all too clearly remembered the incident with the she-saber last night.

Sassy grinned slyly. _Time to make those possums pay._

She boldly leapt off the ground and grabbed the unsuspecting possums out of the tree. The female held them firmly in her mouth, yet delicately enough not to wound them. She winked at Diego, hoping to impress him with her maneuver.

"That'fs mmffor mnessing with myff boyfreed you itiots!" she growled with the two marsupials still in her mouth. The possums grinned slightly from the carnivore's jaws. Under normal circumstances, they would have laughed uncontrollably at what the female smilidon had just said. However, at a tense time like this, they knew they could not tease anyone lest get punished more.

Diego got control of himself. Still, he was genuinely shocked. He opened his mouth in surprise slightly. _Boyfriend_? When had Sassy jumped to that conclusion? They had only started really _liking_ each other last night. The female smilidon was unpredictable in every way.

Sid was cowering in fear after Sassy snatched up the possums. However, he had heard the female smilidon's choice of words. "WHAT? Boyfriend?" the sloth shouted suddenly. He quickly waddled up to Sassy and Diego, forgetting his fear.

Diego sighed. This whole situation was developing into a dilemma for him. "Sassy. Thanks for the help with the possums. But this time, let's just let their stupid antics slide." he said somewhat softly. He wasn't exactly happy she had referred to him as her 'boyfriend' in front of everyone. The smilidon made a mental note to remember to talk about it with her later. "Let's go everyone. We don't have time for games! Sheba's not far away and if we don't get out of here fast enough, we'll all be hers to mess with!"

"As you wish." Sassy dropped the two possums. Crash and Eddie sighed in relief now that they were released. As well, Sid covered his mouth with his paws, forcing himself not to ask a lengthy list of questions he had for the sabers.

"_But!_" Diego shouted, turning back to stare squarely at the possums. "You two aren't off the hook! Trust me! I will get back at you later…big time! Got it?" he sneered.

Sassy curled her lips into a wicked smile and winked at Diego to emphasize his point. Ellie's brothers whimpered and huddled together. They nodded a scared, 'yes'.

"Good." He replied loudly and somewhat menacingly. "Now let's get out of here!" he shouted. Diego burst into a jog followed by Sassy, Sid—who felt out of breath immediately after he had begun waddling fast—and the possums who for forced to run on their own instead of getting a free ride like usual.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the rock wall, Ellie and the others had formulated a plan.

"So you all understand what we're going to do?" Ellie asked, looking over the group to see if they had questions. The group nodded.

Talia rehearsed what they had come up with proudly. "Yep. Ellie will get Manny to listen to our plan and following it by going over this with him by pretending to be really worried. Then she'll say this is what she wants to him do if we get into any number of bad situations to protect Peaches. She'll say she came up with it herself, not us, so Manny won't suspect anything. And she won't tell him it was our idea. That way he'll work with us when disaster strikes and won't know Ellie's idea to keep safe really came from this meeting. Our plan goes as follows, if it's a predator we run into, we separate into the most able teams to fight. If a member of our herd goes missing, we make sure we're all clear on what we're doing, separate, and then meet at the same spot. If someone falls in an icy river, we stay calm as possible and pull them out as fast as we can. If it's a natural disaster, we act according to the type, place and severity. And if it's something else…"

The highly talkative female shut her mouth when she saw Scrat staring boredly at her and Samual yawning. All of them had rehearsed everything well and knew exactly what to do in a number of situations. Talia realized she was rambling.

She smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Uh…So everyone knows. Great!" she said dumbly.

The group headed back to Manny, Peaches, and Basil. Samual and Ellie walked ahead of the others to Manfred. They hoped Ellie's mate would think that she had been talking with the caribou about the route this whole time and not having this secret meeting.

* * *

Manny, Basil, and Peaches were still in relatively the same place Ellie had left them two hours ago.

Basil had lied down and pretended to sleep. The older mammoth had hollered several times at him to ask what was going on by now. But instead of responding, the blue eyed mammoth just continued faking sleep.

Manfred had found himself in a tough situation. He was worried about Ellie to the point of wanting to get up and charge into the forest to search for her. But every time he looked at Peaches soundly sleeping and continuing to do so despite his loud shouts to Basil, he cursed inwardly at himself for almost waking her. Therefore, he stayed put. Though he was feeling restless and felt the need to stretch his limbs after waiting for so long, he still couldn't get himself to chase after Ellie. Also, he wanted to find out why the others had disappeared.

Basil was also thinking about the others. He needed to be filled in on what they had come up with and if Ellie believed them. Also, he had no idea how much longer Manny would stay put. Just when the young mammoth was afraid the larger pachyderm would wait no longer, Ellie appeared with Samual by her side.

"There's a way around the rock wall!" Ellie announced as she excitedly rushed toward Manny.

Peaches woke up on cue as if she had been waiting for her mother. " Moggi!" she squealed as she opened her large, long-lashed eyes.

Manny's anxious expression melted into one of love and happiness for a moment. Ellie smiled at her daughter. Basil saw the older mammoth let his guard down. A great feeling of relief washed over him. With Samual and Ellie back and Manfred calming down, it appeared that things might be alright.

Ellie gestured to Samual with her trunk. "Samual showed me a way around the rock wall. Sorry I took so long." the she-moth said guiltily to her mate.

"It was a heck of a long way. A darned long one." the caribou stated as he stepped forward. "I found it when I woke up early this mornin'. We started headin' Northeast instead of Northwest to find the rest of the herd the past day or so. Noticed it myself when I woke up early this mornin' and went out foragin'. Wish I hadn't now because I went to bed doggon late." he finished with a yawn.

"So what you're saying is, we're going the wrong way!" Manny was alarmed. Surely, that meant that they might have to backtrack to where they started! Also, he and Ellie were quite worried about how the rest of the herd was faring. He hoped that Talia, Len, Basil, and Samual found their herds soon so they would leave for good.

"It was only for a day. Calm down honey. We're very close to getting to the other side. We don't have far to travel before we get there." Ellie reassured her mate softly. Manny's mate noticed he had begun to drift off into thought. She locked trunks with him for a moment, hoping to eradicate any fears he had. The two smiled lovingly at each other and Peaches cooed happily.

"Aww. Ya know, families are so cute!" The ungulate sniffed and his eyes grew big. He was moved by the scene before him. He smiled and wiped a stray tear away.

Basil too was watching and had forgotten what he was supposed to be doing.

"Psst! Basil! Basil, come here!" Talia called in a loud whisper.

The distracted mammoth snapped out of his daze. He searched for where the voice was coming from. Realizing it was Talia, Basil marched hastily into the forest where the young female was waiting. She was accompanied by Scrat, Len, and Samson.

"So how did it go? Did you come up with an idea with Ellie like you planned?" he asked, his light blue eyes glowing with eagerness and curiosity.

"Yes. Everything went very well." Len declared, grinning at his friend. "It really helped that by chance Samual found a way around the rock wall early this morning and also that we were headed in the wrong direction by a tad. We hadn't thought Samual would find s a way through the rock wall but it made our plan flow quite well when we retrieved Ellie. The squirrel was able to lure her away easily and now she has a reason to explain why she was away without Manny suspecting." Len seemed unusually happy and upbeat. He held his head up confidently.

Scrat jumped onto Samson's back. He cursed Len in a variety of incoherent sounds, frustrated at being referred to as "the squirrel" when he had a name.

"Yeah. Len even managed to tell Ellie the story, in full detail about the death of Manny's son and how he was born again as a mammoth and stuff." Talia added brightly, ignoring Scrat. "She is even giving his prediction a chance!"

"I'll fill you in on what we came up with." Len informed Basil.

"Umm…I hate to break it to you…" The other three turned to Samson. "We may have a plan and things have gone well so far….but the worst is still ahead. If things go wrong, we could all die, _remember_?" Samson said with urgency. Scrat stopped angrily squeaking at Len and frowned, gripping his acorn tightly.

Len took a breath and collected his senses. "Yes." he replied, now very serious. "I have not forgotten that nor has anyone else here." he glanced at the others to see if they agreed. All nodded gravely.

"We're just relieved everything's gone well so far is all…" Talia said with a shrug.

"It is great things have gone so well so far. But I think Samson is right. We don't really have time to celebrate…although a little happiness never hurts." Basil explained. The mammoth gazed warily at the group. "It is almost noon…and Len said that the event he predicted would happen then. We don't have much time left." he shot Len a worried glance.

Samson bit his lower lip. He hated this kind of suspense—especially since he knew he was a major weakling who easily got hurt.

Len nodded. "Give me a moment. I need to tell Basil what our plan is before we go any further with this." The light tawny-colored pachyderm took his friend aside to explain everything before returning to address the others.

Shortly after, the two walked back into view.

Len moved in front of the others and took the leadership position. "Okay everyone. You all know what to do. Keep an eye out for danger at all times but don't panic. Proceed just like we have talked about and don't falter." he instructed. He lowered his head and locked eyes with each of the animals, deeply emphasizing his point.

Samson tried to be strong and brave for once. He put on a look of determination although he was trembling inside. The other mammoths gave Len an affirmative nod with their heads as if they were soldiers taking commands from a general.

Scrat sat tall, puffed out his chest, furrowed his brow, and made a quick salute with his paw. Unfortunately, the squirrel didn't notice his nut fall out of his paws when he paid tribute to Len. It fell to the ground with a soft pitter-patter sound. The obsessed rodent shrieked and fell off Samson's back accidently in panic as he attempted to jump down and retrieve his beloved. Samson smiled at the silly squirrel. He placed Scrat and the acorn on his back once more.

The four mammoths and squirrel marched off to meet Ellie, Samual, Manny, and Peaches now that everything was in order.

Meanwhile, Samual had gained the attention of the two bonding mammoths and explained to them in better detail what he had seen. It was a small trench in the rock wall that led to the other side which he had seen in the distance. It did not appear dangerous to pass through. However, a large glacier and tall mountains were visible just past the opening making it the only real way across. That is, unless the group was going to trek through the mountains.

Both Manny and Ellie had agreed with him that it was the best way to go. Len and the others appeared just after the caribou had finished explaining.

To Samson's chagrin, Peaches' father glared at them disapprovingly. "Where were _all_ of you for so long?"

"We were sleeping and eating breakfast." Talia replied nonchalantly.

Samson shifted nervously. "Uh… yeah we were—" The small mammoth stopped mid-sentence and nodded. He wasn't exactly good with words under pressure.

The skeptical mammoth seemed to buy the group's false explanation. "Okay. We've been resting here long enough. Let's get moving." Manfred announced. "And this time, in the _right_ direction." He said with strong emphasis. Then the large pachyderm's voice took on a gentler tone. "We won't be going fast though because of Ellie and Peaches. But that doesn't mean you can be lazy and keep us from covering ground." he warned the other animals.

As the group parted so Samual could lead the way, Manny gave him a glare. "You'd better be right about this!"

The caribou was not overwhelmed by the pressure the mammoth's harsh statement put on him nor that it almost sounded like a threat. "Don't ya worry ya big, hairy mammoth. We'll be there in no time!"

Manny scoffed and rolled his eyes at the ungulate's tactless way of addressing him. He was far from overjoyed that Samual would be leading them. Still, the caribou did know the most about the way to the rest of the herd at the moment. Plus, Manny knew he could take charge again once the trench came into view.

The mammals set off in a single-file line, with Samual in the lead.

* * *

Meanwhile, Diego, Crash, Eddie, Sid, and Sassy were on the move.

"Do we have to go this fast?" Sid panted. He was already lagging behind and felt like he was about to pass out from lack of oxygen.

"If you don't want to see Sheba again we do!" Sassy called back to the slower-moving sloth as she jogged along.

"Ditto what Sid said! I'm tired!" Crash announced whilst running.

"Crash! Don't say that! You aren't that out of shape." Eddie scolded. "Plus…you don't want to lower yourself to Sid level do you? " he whispered to his panting sibling.

Diego saw this as a chance to get back at the possums for teasing him earlier. "Actually…you two _do_ kind of remind me of Sid. …In terms of fitness that is." Diego replied coolly to the tired marsupials. He was genuinely amused. "Why not stop getting rides from Sassy and I wherever we go? Unless you want me to treat you like him." he taunted.

Both possums gasped. But before the two could protest, Sassy interjected.

"Diego! I think I'm about to go into a trance. The wind is blowing Sid's scent my way!" she shouted anxiously.

Diego's eyes widened. She couldn't go into a trance….Not now! "Quick! Go to the field by the water hole! The herb…black cohosh should be growing there!" he instructed.

Sid and the possums came to a halt. Diego began to sprint with Sassy to the field but a horrible and familiar creature blocked their path.

"How DARE you!" the brownish-red pelted sloth shrieked. "You broke your promise to me! Now you all are going to GET IT from me BIG TIME!" the violent sloth said in an earsplitting scream. "You worthless IDIOTS!"

The female sloth held a vine to use as a whip. She cracked her knuckles and slowly marched toward them.

The possums whined and backed up. Sid put his claws over his mouth in shock and his bug eyes grew wide with terror. Sheba bared her teeth and then charged ferociously after all five animals.

Sassy shot Diego a confused and fearful look as he backed away from the sloth with his teeth bared. "Take care of the trance later! Run now!" he stammered. The two took off running at a sprint, followed by the possums. Sid jumped onto Diego's back just in time as they ran away from the mad she-sloth in terror.

* * *

Yay! A cliffy! This was supposed to be a short chapter but it turned out to be MUCH longer than expected. I had a lot of explaining and such to do with Len's prediction. …And I wonder what will happen now that Sheba's caught up to Diego and Sassy? Find out in the next chapter!

Don't forget to review as always. ^^


	15. Revenge of the Sloth

An update! At last! I wanted to thank everyone for all your reviews for the last chapter.

I was not expecting to have this up until Christmas but my beta reader, Phantomwriter2.0, got it back to me very fast. So a special thanks to her!

Note: This chapter contains more violence than usual.

* * *

Sheba had her lips curled back in an evil grin. "Hello my betrayers." she growled with sick amusement.

The mad sloth had lived up to her reputation. She had not only managed to chase Sassy, Diego, Crash, Eddie, and Sid at an impossible speed for a sloth, but after a lengthy chase and skillfully manipulating a pride of cave lions, they were all cornered by a tall boulder. It was blocked off on two sides leaving a space for the group to escape but not near as large as they wanted.

Sid was cowering behind Crash and Eddie. Both brothers were exhausted. Still, they glared at Sheba defiantly, acting brave—for once. Sassy's eyes were hazy and she was desperately trying to keep her nose covered and mind clear. She was trying to think of a way to get the group out of this mess while, at the same time, fighting with all her might not to go into a trance.

For Diego, time seemed to slow down. The mad sloth held a large burning branch. He knew what the psychotic mammal planned to do next; roast them alive. Yet somehow, neither Diego nor his friends had the courage or energy to try to run past the female sloth. The smilidon remembered why...

_Start flashback..._

Diego remembered running; sprinting so fast that his lungs burned and he gasped for air. The dead weight of Sid on his back was making it easier. Sheba was after him and his friends. They were all fleeing for their lives.

The saber remembered making a sharp turn when he suddenly heard the paws of six large animals behind him. Diego didn't dare look back. However, the wind carried their scent to him. Six cave lions were after them. He guessed that these larger cats had been hired by Sheba to assist in killing them.

Sid screamed when he turned his head and saw the six after him, along with Sheba. "Oh gee!" he cried with his teeth clenched and face distorted in terror. "Please let me live! Please let me live!" he chanted as if praying for mercy.

Sassy was also tired but not about to give up. "Faster!" she commanded in a raspy, out-of-breath voice.

"Get off our territory!" one of the female cave lionesses suddenly roared as she sprinted after them.

"I have a better idea! Let's eat them!" Diego heard one of the large felines hiss.

"But I was the one who saw them running first! It looked like they were running away from the sloth when I saw them!" a young female interjected as she sprinted along.

"How many times have I told you Kim?" an undisputedly male lion shouted to the teen lioness. "Sloths are at the bottom of the food chain. They don't hunt or chase anything. _Period_." This lion had a powerful, deep voice. He was undoubtedly the lion in charge.

"That's what _you_ think!" the fleeing mammals suddenly heard Sheba scream. The vicious sloth snatched up a large stick and hit one of the lionesses squarely on the head. The running animals didn't see what happened. However, they could easily infer what happened by the loud knock of the branch against the feline and a pained yowl. Crash guessed that the cave lions had stopped dead in their tracks after witnessing the sloth's fighting potential.

However, that was not the case. Suddenly, a lioness came out of nowhere and jumped between Diego and Sassy. Two more charged forward and Sassy and the possums sprinted away. Diego and Sid dashed in opposite directions to escape.

Sassy and the possums were chased by two large, muscular lionesses. The two felines pursued the three exhausted mammals through pine forest, slowly gaining ground.

The smilidon knew she couldn't keep up the pace much longer. Just as one of the lions was about to sink their sharp teeth into her back, she made a sharp turn off the trail and into the thick forest foliage. The possums dashed after her.

Sassy thought she had bought herself some time and confused her pursuers.

However, Sassy realized that her turn had sent her on the way down an icy incline. Her claws made deep skid marks in the icy ground as she desperately tried to come to a stop but there was a patch of pine trees directly ahead of her. She roared in pain as she rammed into one and slid toward the edge of the slippery snow bank. She let her cat instincts take over as she was slipped off the edge and was thrown into the air. Using her short tail for balance, Sassy attempted to latch onto a tall boulder during her descent. The sabress's claws narrowly missed the edge of the huge rock. Sassy saw her life flash before her eyes as she fell to the ground below the slope—a _thirty_ foot drop.

While in mid-air, she maneuvered toward a large pile of snow covered with a pile of leaves. By some miracle, or perhaps by pure luck, Sassy landed on the soft snow pile on all four feet. She collapsed after landing. The near-death experience genuinely knocked the wind out of her, but she was left uninjured. Sassy lay on the cold snow, breathing heavily.

She suddenly glanced up and saw the possums falling. The two screamed during their descent. Sassy couldn't tell whether they were happy from the adrenaline rush they were experiencing or afraid of losing their lives.

Crash managed to grab onto the edge of the top of the boulder with his paws. But when Eddie grabbed his brother's tail to end his fall, Crash lost his grip. Both were sent plummeting once again.

Just as the possums were about to hit the ground with great force, both instinctively latched onto a log jutting out sideways from the boulder with their tails. The brothers managed to survive but were hanging upside down mere inches from the ground. Both hung from the dead tree limb limply with their mouths' open and eyes wide as when they had been falling. Crash and Eddie hung in stunned silence with the same shocked expressions for a few minutes.

Upon recovering from the shock, Crash realized that they had just narrowly escaped death. "Whoa!" the possum exclaimed. The reality of all that had happened now sunk in. He glanced at his brother who was still hanging from the log, motionless. Crash poked his brother. "Hey bro, wake up! We're alive!" he shouted happily. The bold possum knocked on the log they were hanging from to get Eddie's attention. "C'mon Eddie! Earth to you bro! We made it!"

"Did we?" Eddie mouthed, out of it. He didn't blink nor move his limbs. He flinched when a warm fluid dripped down his chest. He gasped. The still dazed possum gazed at his moist paws. "I must be if this just happened." At that, Crash burst out laughing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Diego was being chased by a single cave lion. If there was any time he wished Sid would go on a diet, it was now. The lion was quickly gaining on him and he was breathing in quick, shallow gasps. For the first time in his life, he truly understood what it was like to be prey.

"Aaah! It's gaining on us! What should we do?" Sid exclaimed. He tightened his grip on the tuft of fur on Diego's neck.

Diego growled. They would both die if he continued carrying the overweight sloth. But how would he get Sid, who had a death grip on him, off while running? He didn't exactly have the breath to yell at his obnoxious friend to get off.

The saber was contemplating a way to throw Sid off his back and perhaps increase his chances of survival when he came to an abrupt stop.

Diego saw a shocking scene in front of him. Sheba was beating up the lions one by one. She had some mild wounds and bruises but her attackers were far more battered. What's more, she was holding a burning branch. The lead male lion from earlier—whom Diego assumed to be the king—was with them.

She waved the burning tree limb around, threatening to scorch any of the predators that dared go near her. Several of the lions had scorched fur and wounds. Two were so badly burned that they struggled to stand. As well, two lionesses and a young male Diego had not seen before lay motionless on the ground. Their bodies were scorched the color of coal.

When Diego took a closer look, he could see it was not them that were attacking Sheba anymore but the other way around. She had the youngest lion, the lead male's daughter cornered by a cliff.

The lioness that had been chasing Diego and Sid abruptly stopped and rushed over to assist her pride mates.

"I won't cook the young lioness if you let your prey go!" Sheba yelled at the lions.

"Please. We'll make sure we terminate the hunt. Just don't hurt my daughter, Kim! She is the heir to our pride!" the king begged. For an animal with such high status, he was very desperate. While the others were away, Sheba had been wearing down the lion pride's confidence and tormenting them so much that they seemed ready to beg for mercy.

Sheba grinned wickedly and backed away from the teenage lioness. "Fine. As you wish."

Diego and Sid stared wide-eyed in silence at how the demon of a sloth manipulated the huge predators. However, Diego didn't stare for long. He nearly collapsed as he tried properly to lie down, completely exhausted.

"_**BUT**_!" the mad sloth screeched, continuing. "Take the two sabers, male sloth, and possums to a place where they cannot escape. I will kill them there."

The pride stared at the sloth, perplexed. "But I thought you wanted us to leave them alone. That you wanted to stop us from hunting them." One of the females replied anxiously. "Now you want to kill-"

"Yes! That is _exactly _what I want to do to them!" Sheba yelled. "And if you do not obey me, I will burn every one of you to a crisp! Just like the other three here." She said as she motioned to their three dead family members. "How dare you try to kill those five for betraying me instead of letting me do it!" she glared daggers at all of the lions and furrowed her bushy eyebrows. Her voice was dangerously low.

The lions glanced at each other, unsure if they should run away or obey the furious mammal.

"It will be done." the king announced with a sigh.

The others stared at their leader in a mixture of shame and disbelief. How could they have lowered themselves as the humblest and proudest of all creatures, to take commands from a sloth? Still, they understood the king's decision. They knew well that they didn't have many options. Three of their family had already been murdered by her.

Just then, the two females who had been chasing Sassy and the possums returned. They were out of breath. "The saber tooth...and the possums escaped." they panted.

"They fell down a snow bank by a boulder but I think they are alive." the lighter lioness stated.

The other female took a step back, appalled by the scene before her. "_**What**_-"

"Great!" Sheba exclaimed. "Bring the male saber and sloth there for me to slaughter them!"

"We will." the leader replied grimly.

"But my king, why in the world are we taking orders from that sloth now?" the light female hollered.

"Just do as I say!" the king roared in anguish. "...I shall explain this mess later to you two." he muttered.

Diego was lying on his side, extremely overheated and breathing heavily while the pride and Sheba were conversing. He was listening yet did not have the strength to get up and start running again.

Meanwhile, Sid—who proved useless in any number of dangerous situations—was noisily begging the worn out saber to get up. Diego was trying to get up when he heard the rush of footsteps toward him. But it was no use. He was grabbed by two of the females from the pride. Sid was snatched up as well.

One of the lionesses came up beside Diego and Sid.

"I am so sorry." she whispered to them. "If we had only trusted Kim when she said that wicked sloth was chasing you and you were not encroaching on our territory." she sighed. She looked sadly at Diego. "Even as an animal that normally competes with and kills sabers, as your fellow predator, I am ashamed." the lioness finished with her head hung low.

"There must something you can do!" Diego shouted weakly as he was carried on the backs of two lions.

"I am sorry." the lioness repeated. "But our family comes first."

The rest of the lionesses nodded and some also looked guilty. It was extremely rare to see cave lions, the most prideful of all animals, so low-spirited and sad. This showed Diego that Sheba could accomplish even what he thought impossible for the sloth to do. Diego had never thought her power could go that far but he realized now she could make any animals do whatever she wanted—even the most revered and high-ranking of beasts.

As he thought, Diego was carried the rest of the way to the huge boulder. Once he was there, he remembered being deposited by Sassy and the possums, who appeared to be laughing about something gross. The last event he remembered before he passed out was the cave lions. Shortly after, he woke when Sheba stepped in front of him and his herd-mates and announced she was going to kill them.

...End Flashback

Diego's mind snapped to the present.

"Enough waiting you _**useless **_mammals! Time to pay for breaking your promise!" Sheba snarled. She walked closer to them, the hot, burning tree limb drawing ever closer. She looked at them in pure hatred and it seemed she liked seeing them squirm in fear before she killed them.

When she was right in front of them and started whipping around the flaming branch, the group had no choice but try to find a way to back up or be burned. Diego had to call upon the strength he had left to get up on his wobbly legs and move.

The terrified mammals backed up further into a corner of the boulder which had a rock jutting out from the main top rock face above them. This created a rock roof over them while rock surrounded them on three sides. However, this was by no means a cave an escape route. There was a side wide enough that a few mammoths could fit though at once. Tthe other three sides were nothing but solid rock leaving no means of escape.

This bought them a little more time to live but it was all they had in hopes of surviving a little longer. Unfortunately, due to the roofed area they were in now, animals wandering by or flying overhead could not see them at all nor hear them well if they shouted for help.

Sassy sighed. It was now or never. If she stopped fighting her trance, she just might distract Sheba long enough for the rest to escape. The smilidon knew it was her only option. She drew in a deep breath and let all the lustful thoughts she could fill her head. She sighed and prayed her last ditch effort would work.

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How was it? Most of this was a flashback but I thought it would be more interesting/suspenseful.

Please feel free to leave a review.


	16. Expect the Unexpected

Another chapter! Lots of plot twists in this one!

Anyway, enjoy!

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Diego growled weakly though he knew it was no use. This was the end. Without the energy to even stand, he was as good as dead—Sheba was going to kill him and his friends.

Crash hugged his brother as the sloth slowly drew closer. "Bye Eddie. Bye Diego. Bye Sid and Sassy."

"I-i-it w-aa-ss n-i-ic-ce k-n-ow-w-i-i-n-n-g-g y-oouu t-t-oo b-b-brro." Eddie stammered. He was shivering with fear despite the fact that the way he talked sounded like he was shaking from extreme cold.

"Hide me Diego! Save me." Sid cried. He hid behind the exhausted saber, who could provide him no protection nor cover.

Realizing that his carnivorous friend was tired and not responding, Sid called to Sassy.

"Could you help me Sassy? Sassy?" The female smilidon stared ahead without blinking. She was still trying to bring on a trance but failing. She was lost in thought and did not hear his cries.

Out of options, Sid attempted to reason with Sheba. The sloth was now closing in on them, slowly and intimidatingly, as they stared at her in fear under the rock overhang. He peaked out his head sideways from behind Diego.

"Oh c'mon. This can't be all that bad." Sid said nervously. "I mean...I-I've broken promises a lot worse than this. I never stopped annoying Manny like I said I would."

Sheba's eyes burned even more with malice. She took a step forward.

Sid gulped. "Broken a vow to go on a diet..." he drabbled pointlessly.

Sheba bared her teeth and held the burning stick up threateningly as she edged closer.

"Forgot to say sorry to a hedgehog for stepping in its burrow like I promised..." the sloth continued, the broken promises he spoke of becoming more and more trivial.

Sheba was now only a few strides from Sid. She leaned forward and pulled him out from behind Diego. She held his neck in a death grip with one paw and the burning branch in the other. Her blue eyes burned with hatred and rage.

"Oh, who am I kidding! Just spare me and my friends please!" Sid pleaded before beginning to choke from Sheba's tight grip on his neck. Tears of sadness and fear rolled off his cheeks. His eyes grew big and his fur puffed out in extreme anxiety. As well, he put his paws together in a gesture as if praying. For once in his life, Sid looked cute—like a crying, innocent, little puff ball.

Sheba shrieked loudly as her whole body trembled as if fighting some internal force. With what seemed like great will-power and effort, she slowly loosened her grip on Sid and threw him aside. To everyone's further shock, suddenly the crazy sloth backed away and put the fire from the stick out in a nearby puddle. She casually tossed the singed remains aside.

She promptly regained composure. "That is enough torment for now." she said in a slightly more calm manner.

The possums' mouths dropped open in shock. Was she manipulating them more before killed them or was she actually going to let them live?

Sid sat on the ground, dazed and surprised. Sheba simply folded her arms as if it was all no big deal.

Sassy—who had been too busy trying to get into a trance to see what horrible female sloth had done—ran up to the female sloth nearly knocking her over, and shouted, "Ohh! I so love you!"

This time, even Diego was stunned. He stared at the two suspiciously, yet also in shock. First Sheba did something totally untrue to her nature, now Sassy. What was next? Surely her attempt to seduce Sheba would backfire on all of them. The saber realized that all of them needed to get away immediately—no matter how tired and bad of shape they were in.

Sid snapped out of his daze. He looked confusedly at Sassy who was smiling at Sheba and purring. "Is-is there something I missed?" Sid asked timidly.

But no one had time to answer. A huge dark brown animal came out of nowhere and grabbed Sheba by the neck in a tight grip. It was the lone tundra mammoth teenager, Cayote.

Everyone stared wordlessly as the pachyderm effortlessly subdued Sheba and set her foot down hard on one of the sloth's arms, almost completely crushing it and sending blood spraying. Sheba would have let out a blood-curling scream had the mammoth not covered her mouth.

"No!" Sassy screamed so loudly that her cry echoed from the boulders and into the forest. "My love!"

Running on adrenaline, the tired saber leapt onto Cayote's trunk and tore Sheba out of her grasp with her teeth. Cayote's trunk was mildly pierced by Sassy's two huge canines in the process. A small amount of blood flowed from two puncture marks in the she-moth's trunk.

Cayote rumbled loudly at the saber in warning as she attempted to grab the sloth again.

Sassy stood over the barely conscious mammal and hissed menacingly. "Don't you dare!" she hissed, fangs fully exposed. "If you kill my love, you'll have to kill **me** first!"

Cayote backed up and glared at Sassy.

Diego, the possums, and Sid all stared with huge eyes at the three other animals. All stood motionless in total shock with their jaws dropped as far as they could go. They stood as still as statues.

But if it was anyone that felt like the world was turning upside-down and unexplained chaos was happening, it was Sheba. Though barely conscious as a red puddle grew by her severely injured appendage, she was not unaware of what was happening. Too dumbfounded and perplexed almost to breathe, she lay on the ground so still, it was if she had been frozen in ice.

Cayote glared at Sassy and then glanced over to Diego and the others. Then she backed up and cleared her throat. She smiled slightly and looked at all of them in a much less threatening way. "Well...before I give anyone a heart attack from fear, I might as well explain myself." she declared as she gave her body a mild shake. The cow spoke in a completely unstartled manner as if this was just an everyday thing.

Sid shifted ever so slightly to look fearfully at Sassy.

"And don't you all worry, Sassy's not gonna move. And if she does, I'll batter that sloth _more_!" the shemoth said with a cocky grin.

The sabress guarding Sheba growled threateningly and unsheathed her sharp claws.

Cayote just snorted at the saber's display. "Hmmpf, bluffing." she said with a roll of her eyes. "So," she continued, casually turning to Sid, Diego, Crash, and Eddie, "I bet you have many questions about why I am here and why I did what I did. Allow me to explain."

"That would be nice." Diego breathed. "That is, if I'm not having hallucinations from heat-stroke." he added.

Sid, who still had his mouth hanging open, nodded in slow motion. The possums gave the mammoth their attention as they sat in silence.

"Well..." Cayote mused. "After you guys last had a run-in with that sloth and I put her out for a bit by breaking her tail, I figured she'd be after you again." the teen paused. "So I tracked all of you, world's craziest sloth included. But I came to this forest before all of you did. Found out the prey animals here had a huge problem on their hands, a huge pride of cave lions and a group of male cougars who were abusing their power. Killing animals' young even if they had far more than enough to eat, tormenting the weak for fun's sake, ya know, the works."

She paused for a few minutes to let the group digest the large chunk of information she had given them.

Diego frowned. Was Cayote talking about the lion pride that was forcefully controlled by Sheba, who apologized to him and Sid for hunting them?

"Anyway, there is a reward." the she-moth continued. "A _big_ one for anyone who is able to get those cougars in line and teach those lions to rule over the other animals with respect." The nineteen-year-old rolled her eyes once more. "Not that I expect cave lions or any predators to treat prey reasonably. But these prey animals here, the deer, hedgehogs, horses, birds—all creatures big and small—they expect predators to treat them more reasonably than folks in other places."

She paused and checked to see if the stunned animals were following what she was saying.

"How does that have to do with anything?" Crash blurted. By now, the saber, possums, and sloth were starting to calm down.

The mammoth looked out into space as if thinking. "Well…that sloth, the one that I injured here…Sheba's her name I believe. She single-handedly killed those four cougars causing trouble. And as of late, humiliated the pride of lions and killed a number of em'."

"How do you know?" Diego questioned. "Were you _watching_ when Sheba burned those lionesses alive?"

Cayote grinned slightly, happy that even after going through so much, the animals were able to understand what she was saying and even ask questions.

The teen frowned again when she answered Diego's question. "No. But word travels fast in these parts. I heard a bunch of birds squawklin' about Sheba when she killed the lionesses." she drawled.

The male saber raised an eyebrow. "And how you knew where we were and why you attacked Sheba if she is such a great hero?" he snarled. Though he was extremely tired, he was thankful his mind was still sharp enough for him to try to piece together what was going on.

"I saw her chasing you. Lost track of you a couple times but I saw all I needed to see. And when I saw her about to burn you all to death, that sealed it." the mammoth said angrily, furrowing her brow.

"Sealed what?" Sid quizzed.

"That I had had **enough.**" Cayote replied, raising her voice slightly. "That I don't care if everyone in the forest sees me beating up that sloth if they believe she is a hero, if they exile me or make me an outcast." she sighed. "Don't get me wrong. I believe in fighting and abuse of the natural order of things here and there. Heck, I grew up following none of the rules! I turned down numerous invitations to join mammoth herds and was judged for it. No one likes to see a snotty lone female mammoth wandering around. A sort of taboo I guess. Oh, and that I like to grind the confident, narsistic animals and animals with an overly bloated ego to a pulp. No one likes that either…" the mammoth shrugged.

Diego sighed. Was she just going to ramble on and on about herself?

Cayote suddenly locked eyes with her listeners. "But! There is a place where I draw the line. A sloth, the lowest on the food chain, goin' after a bunch of misfits who didn't hurt anybody. Not only that but about to achieve fame after doing that and killing a bunch of predators in a rage without goodwill for this forest community; that's when I get mad!" she explained.

"So, does that mean that you'll finish her off? You know... kill Sheba after this?" Eddie asked quietly. The menacing glare of the female mammoth—though she had good intentions—made him feel powerless and insignificant.

Sassy instantly roared in protest at Eddie's question. The possums hugged each other and cringed in response.

The mammoth glared at Sassy. "Shut your trap, loony feline! Or I'll pummel you as well as the sloth! And it'll be the end of both of ya! _**Got it you romance-obsessed cat**_?" the angry pachyderm spat.

Sassy growled quietly but let the fur that stood straight up on her back flatten a bit. The sabress wasn't agreeing to the mammoth's terms by any means, but submitting slightly to avoid more fighting.

"Back to your question opossum, no I won't." the teenager stated.

"Why not? That sloth has already killed more animals than my bro and I can count. Plus, she tried to do the same to us many times. Wouldn't ending it right here save everyone a lot of trouble?" Eddie bravely asked though he shivered in the mammoth's presence.

"Because," Cayote replied simply.

"Why? _**Why**_ wouldn't you want to put an end to everyone's suffering?" Diego fought to get up on all fours but fell back to the ground panting. "Does coming out of nowhere and beating her up and only showing up whenever you feel like it when she's about to kill us give you some sort of power trip?" he growled. Diego expected a strong reaction from the fiercely independent female but he didn't care. He was bone-tired, in horrible shape, and in the worst mood of his life. The saber didn't have the energy for tactful diplomacy or to hold in his emotions.

"Okay. I'll tell you." Cayote said, giving Diego a quick glare. "I suppose you guys more than deserve to know with all you've gone through." she added in a surprisingly gentle tone.

She took a step back and gestured to the massive evergreen forest that surrounded them. "You see all this?"

Only Sid nodded.

"Well, the folks here aren't as ordinary as I told you. Not just with the predator thing but also in other ways. I've been interacting with this forest's inhabitants these past few days and after all my days of roamin' the land, I've finally found a place to call home. They don't care that I'm a loner and I'm an extremely hard-headed one either. There's a couple mammoths here and personally, I kinda like this whole predator problem. Gives me a reason to be here, plus I love the thrill of scaring huge carnivores silly. And if I kill Sheba, well...I'm as good as gone from here. I'll be destined to be a lifelong nomad like I was before I set foot in here."

Sid put a paw on his chin, thinking.

"Of course, I'm probably already in deep trouble." Cayote continued. "Attacking Sheba—the animal all these creatures will call a hero once word spreads—was not good. And when she recovers from this, no doubt once she catches on, she'll manipulate the animals here to believe her even if you all and I say otherwise." The mammoth looked at the four mammals. "Does that seem clear to ya?"

"Actually no." Diego replied irritably.

"Someone must have seen what she was doing to all of us and know she's a bad person." Sid half stated, half asked, starting to pace.

"She could easily just say you all were part of the problem. It's not worth it…" Cayote replied grimly. "...Even if no one saw me attack Sheba by the boulder, someone will find out. Plenty of blood for evidence and more to what was goin' on when she chased you all. Loads of footprints and other clues too."

"Actually your logic does _not_ make much sense." Diego retorted. He tried not to let his anger and frustration make the dizziness from his exhaustion worse.

"Oh?" Cayote cocked her head. She gave him a look of interest.

However, Diego could also sense that in her mind, no further explanation was needed. In other words, she felt like conversing more on this was pointless.

However, the smilidon still wanted everything thoroughly explained.

"You say those lions are ruthless predators who abuse their power?" he asked, changing the subject somewhat. He paused to take a breath. "...Well, _why_ then was the king so obedient to Sheba and _why_ did a few of the lionesses apologize to me?" Diego yelled. The smilidon felt a dizzy sensation as he raised his voice.

"You okay Diego?" Sid asked his friend though he was not exactly 'okay' himself.

"I'm fine." the carnivore replied almost breathlessly.

Cayote rolled her eyes. "Well, I hadn't thought of it but I suppose I am not done filling in the gaps." The mammoth gestured with her trunk to Diego who seemed to be in the worst condition. "I'll tell you more about the lions. Also, I'm going to have to figure out what to do with all of you in this mess."

Eddie stepped forward, eyes glistening with hope. "So you'll help us?" the possum exclaimed hopefully.

The mammoth sighed deeply. "I suppose I am going soft…but yes I will."

"We're gonna live bro!" Eddie shouted excitedly. Crash grimaced and pointed to Sassy and Sheba.

The female saber uttered a low growl at Cayote. She was tensing her muscles as if getting ready to pounce. The mammoth rumbled lowly at the cat in warning.

"Uh, oh. Time to go..." Sid turned his long skinny neck one hundred and eighty degrees before turning his body in the same direction. He tugged at Diego's paw. "Hurry!" When Diego didn't try to get up, the sloth attempted to lift him. The fat sloth realized there was no danger after Sassy and Cayote quieted. He scratched his head. "Wow. I had no idea you were this heavy. You need a diet Diego!"

"Says the sloth that can barely carry half a stick without getting winded." Cayote muttered sarcastically. "...To your question saber, I'm guessing you ran into the part of the lion pride that gives herbivores a little mercy."

"Huh?" Crash and Eddie uttered in unison.

"You heard me right folks. That lion pride is divided into fourths. At least when they go hunting anyway."

"Uh...wouldn't that make them...two...three...more than one pride?" Sid quizzed, counting the number of prides that could be on his claws.

"Nope." the teen replied swiftly.

"You see, the pride is ruled by four brothers. Three of them very ruthless, the other not so. That is unless he's with his three older siblings, then he's under pressure to act like them. To the point, you four were lucky enough to get hunted by the gracious part of the pride."

"And the lionesses?" Diego asked.

"Most of them are like the three lead males. They're part of the same family ya know?" she stated, lowering her head slightly to glare at the four mammals. "But, the few females that give prey some recognition are the ones who hang with him, the nicer brother. Dot's his name I believe. Quite a demeaning name for a cave lion if you ask me."

The four nodded. This was finally making sense.

"Any more questions about the lions and other folk around here?" the mammoth asked impatiently, although not rudely. The group nodded once more.

"Nope. Nada." Eddie replied. The possum hesitated for a moment. "Umm...actually, I do." The possum pointed a claw at Sassy and the subconscious Sheba, "Sassy's-"

"Yeah._** Her!**_" Cayote rumbled loudly with annoyance. "Do any of you know how to get her into her right mind again? So I will not have to pry your impassioned saber friend away from her baneful sweetheart?"

"Actually we do. Give her herbs and she'll snap out of it." Diego replied. "Sid, grab some black cohosh."

"But which plant is…?"

"Just grab a bunch of different kinds and I'll look em' over." Cayote instructed.

The sloth waddled off and returned with an assortment of plants shortly.

He handed them to Cayote who picked out the correct one.

"Stay back." she warned.

Without further warning, the female mammoth charged up to Sassy and quickly knocked her over. Cayote carefully pinned her down firmly but not enough to hurt the saber with her leg and forced the correct herb down her throat.

"That better do it." she grumbled. "Never heard of a thing like this as treatment."

Luckily, the herb worked. Sassy's eyes cleared and she came back to her right mind. However, this time something about her was different. She peered down at the almost motionless killer sloth and then to the others. It was as if she remembered what had happened while she was out of it opposed to other times.

The first thing the she-saber became aware of was exhaustion. Not only had she been running for her life but she had also fiercely faced off against Cayote. She laid down panting.

"Sassy?" Diego asked her with concern, despite what she had just put them all through.

The female gulped. She failed to look Diego in the eye. "…There is something I need to tell you…I-I..." she stopped.

"Tell us." Sid said curiously.

Sassy sighed and glanced wearily at Diego. "I love Sheba."

"_**What**_?" Diego, Sid, Crash, and Eddie shouted in unison. Even Sheba gasped.

Cayote glared at the bunch. "And you say that herb works huh? Doesn't seem like it did."

"No." Sassy cut in. "I _mean_ it. I am not in an altered state of mind. The herb did help me." she held her head low and spoke grimly as if highly ashamed.

"Are you sure?" Sid asked suspiciously. He made a face and pointed at the sabress.

The female saber nodded. Diego stared at her. He was both angry and perplexed.

"How?" Crash questioned. He climbed onto his brother's shoulders and pointed a shaking claw at the sloth. "H-How could you…you love…_her_!" he yelled, pointing a trembling claw at Sheba. He stuck his tongue out and made a gagging sound, emphasizing his disgust.

Eddie marched a few steps toward Sassy with Crash still on his shoulders. "The bad sloth better not be giving you a big case of the hots missy!" Eddie scolded. He furrowed his brow and put his paws on his hips as if he was a mother unhappy with her child's behavior. The possums glared at the feline, half angry, half fooling around.

Sid put his clawed paws up in defeat. "I am so lost!" he cried.

Sassy sighed. "During that trance, I realized something." Sassy said in a tone of voice as if reality had struck her. She took another breath. "I realized I don't like males...as in the way that love goes. Maybe that's why...well besides getting into trances, why I have never had a relationship." the smilidon paused, embarrassed. "About Sheba, well, we're both so messed up. Maybe that's why I...you know." Sassy hung her head. "I'm sorry Diego."

The mammals all noticed she talked differently as if something mysterious had happened to her during that one trance. She seemed calm and down-to-earth in the oddest way. She spoke as if some major aspect of her personality had…changed. However, that didn't keep Diego's anger from burning as hot as a wildfire.

"You choose her?" he snarled. "Why on _Earth_?" Diego was exasperated.

The furious carnivore was cut off by a tired and raspy voice. "I have a confession."

"Who said that?" Eddie asked. "Was it you?" He pointed to Cayote.

"Did you see my lips move?" she growled. "NO!" the hot-headed mammoth bellowed.

"Actually, I can't really tell because your nose is in the way." the possum said in brutal honesty.

"Gee thanks." the pachyderm snorted.

"Was it you bro?" Eddie questioned as Crash hopped off his back. "I have no idea dude. I'm as clueless as you!" Crash exclaimed.

Diego narrowed his eyes and looked around.

"_Listen_ mammals!" Sheba's voice uncharacteristically weak but all too familiar.

Heads turned skeptically toward the battered sloth. Her eyes were almost closed but she was definitely talking.

"All my life I have hated saber-toothed cats. She sounded like an old hag, breathless, like she was on her death-bed saying her last words. "Vile, crazy, that's what I considered them…Until today…" She gazed at Sassy through half-lidded eyes. But this was yet another thing that seemed impossible for the murderous sloth. She was grateful Sassy saved her?

Jaws dropped for perhaps the umpteenth time in a single hour.

"Am...am I halluthinathing?" Sid lisped. The stunned sloth backed up a few steps before he fainted in shock. He fell on the hard rock beneath him ungracefully with a plop.

"Super total unpredicted personality altered transformation sequence." Crash blurted out with a grin.

Eddie stared at his brother and furrowed his brow as if to say, 'Where did all that come from?'

"I still don't believe any of this. She's _lying_ and has somehow manipulated Sassy!" Diego hissed, cutting off the two marsupials. The saber's fur stood on end and he laid his ears back threateningly. He found the strength to sit up.

"Or Sassy's just gone mad...or getting even crazier!" Eddie replied.

"Or...she has superpowers unlike Sid." Crash interjected, laughing. "No, I was kidding...She's just crazy."

Sid regained consciousness instantly. "What do you mean she was powers?" The sloth lifted his head confusedly. He looked around anxiously. "Who? What? Where? What did I miss?" The pear-bodied sloth got up faster than the other mammals thought possible.

"Enough!" Cayote ordered. "I've been sitting around here quietly for all of you long enough. First the rescuing, then the explaining, now I have to wait for you to nitpick and prod at every detail?" she yelled. "Should I help you guys recover...or is this hard rock sanctuary your new cozy little home?" she said in a mocking sing-song voice.

"May I _please_ explain?" Sheba interjected weakly yet irritably. Once again, it took a moment for all of them to realize it was in fact her.

"Go ahead. Sit here all you want. Debate and reason yourselves to death for all I care. But whatever happens, I'm leaving by sundown." Cayote said sarcastically.

"It's still afternoon. We have time." Sassy commented.

"Sassy!" Diego growled.

The female narrowed her eyes in response threateningly, although they held a deep pleading look. She stood over Sheba protectively. "Let the sloth speak!" she shouted insistantly.

Sheba didn't hesitate any longer.

"Enough of this. I shall begin." the sloth said, mustering up some strength. "Listen up mammals...because I will never repeat myself after this...Not anytime in my life as long as I live..."

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How was it? I hope it was not boring with all the explaining. I tried to balance it with action/plot twists and comedy. Please let me know what you think. Feedback is appreciated.


	17. A Life of Crushed Dreams

This chapter is Sheba's biography basically. A big thanks to **TheLoneTimeMongrel** (Trev) who gave me the idea for this chapter by suggesting I make a flashback to explain why Sheba acted so violently. I expanded on this HUGELY though.

**NOTE: This chapter is very sad and has quite a bit of violence. So please keep that in mind before reading.** Onto the story!

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A sloth—extremely young and not spunky and incredibly hard-headed for her age—was spending the afternoon with her family.

She lived in a large family group with many siblings, aunts, uncles, and other relatives. However, a pack of saber-toothed cats also inhabited the area.

The young sloth, Sheba, first witnessed how efficient killing machines smilidons were at a tender age.

Blood, lots of blood, slashes, screams—that was the last she saw of her two oldest sisters before they were dragged away and disappeared forever.

The streak continued. By the time she could understand death and comprehend such gruesome events, half of Sheba's family died this way. Often the young female would hear the adults talking. They plotted to rising up against the sabers and often talked about it into the night.

However, the killing continued. Many times, the sloths tried to outwit or trick the big cats. Despite their effort, the sloth family failed repeatedly to save themselves. Each time there was an attack, there was always an animal too slow to escape or the sabers did something unexpected.

Sheba remembered running in terror for long periods during her childhood. Also, the young mammal noticed other sloths from different areas coming to live with her family. Often they looked ragged and sported all kinds of tooth marks. As well, the sabers seemed to be increasing in number. Five sabers who hunted the sloths soon became over a dozen. As Sheba got older, their population continued to increase further.

Several times, the half-grown mammal asked elders what was happening and why they all didn't just leave.

"_**Why**_?" she asked, pounding her paw on a log. "Why do we put up with this? My family is dying off one by one and now other sloths are too! Why don't we try to escape?" Sheba had wanted to cry but by now all the tragic events in her life had hardened her enough that she rarely did.

"Because we have no choice." the wisest members of her family would reply bleakly. "We live in an area with steep cliffs and tall mountains even tree sloths have trouble climbing. We are all trapped in a deep valley, a gorge. Several packs of saber tooth cats surround our homeland. We have tried to escape numerous times and continue to try." Often, instead of discussing why they repeatedly failed to escape when she asked them, Sheba's family members would slump and turn away. It was implied. They had tried everything they could and there was no hope left. They were all doomed.

By the time she was a young adolescent, Sheba regularly witnessed sabers bringing whole communities of sloths into their home. Other animals varying from the size of raccoons to that of deer were brought in. Occasionally, larger, half-grown prey were also taken to her home. The more agile and faster mammals sometimes managed to escape after being brought to the closed gorge Sheba lived in.

But for the sloths getting away by speed or agility was out of the question.

Often, before they were beaten into submission by the large felines, the brightest and boldest of new sloths just dragged into the area would come up with ideas. They didn't just think of ways to escape but also of ways to destroy the saber packs. Some even suggested riding on animals that were better equipped to get out. However, each time that happened, the animal who was asked refused. Occasionally, a dark cloud of despair would lift from her own family and they would participate in the newcomers' plans.

Unfortunately, those who were courageous enough to follow through were most often the ones who were killed by falls or by sabers. Other predators such as wolves and lesser carnivores typically picked off any stragglers.

Sheba began to truly realize what the area she lived in was like. It was like a large box. The area was many miles long and wide but there was no way out.

Even sabers could barely get in and out. It was rumored that many sabers died on expeditions to leave the gorge and return with prey. Others came back exhausted and in poor condition.

But what she never realized is the sabers were trapped in a similar way to her family. They were more likely to get out and survive. However, with large numbers of cubs and older sabers to slow everyone down, many would die on the journey. At the time, that was not a risk the saber pack leaders were willing to take so they stayed.

After the sloth was a teenager, she chose to embark on one of the expeditions with other sloths to get away.

By that time, Sheba had survived longer than the vast majority of the sloths in the area. She felt that if by luck she had lived this long, by a slim chance she might make it.

She recalled setting out early on the designated morning with four other bold travelers. She knew two of the other sloths she was going with. Their names were Gary and Amanda.

Within a week and a few close calls, the five of them had reached the outskirts of the gorge.

But as soon as she set foot on the rocky area surrounding her home, Sheba could see why this was considered the point of no return.

Sharp, serrated rocks were everywhere and every time the group reached the top of one cliff, another appeared. As well, rock ledges they climbed were narrow and there was no room to rest. Numerous times, the teen almost lost her balance.

After two more grueling days of travel and one member of the group had perished, the remaining four sloths reached an area with green grass and a forested area.

At first, one of the more gullible group members thought they had made it out safely. On the contrary, Sheba and the other two travelers remained highly skeptical; though more greenery dotted the grey, rocky landscape ahead. They sensed more trouble ahead.

Their fears were brought to life when two full-sized sabers came out of nowhere. The four ran but the gullible sloth of the group was quickly snatched.

Sheba nor Gary and Amanda thought to fight.

They ran for their lives away from the speedy sabers.

In no time, the three were cornered against the edge of a tall cliff. The group had nothing but their own stumpy claws and dull teeth for defense.

The sabers closed in, stalking toward them with their huge fangs glistening. Sheba's two traveling companions cringed. But out of nowhere, driven by some unexplainable force, perhaps by desperation or instinct, Sheba lashed out at the two smilidons.

To Gary and Amanda's shock, she charged up to the cats and punched one in the jaw and poked her claw in its eye with all her might.

The other saber badly mauled Sheba but the first was left roaring in agony. However, the injured sloth found that even as her precious life blood drained from her veins, she kept going. She dodged the attack of the second saber and threw a good-sized sharp rock at its head. Sheba scarcely hit her target but managed to hit the predator on the foot.

Gary and Amanda gaped. Never had they seen a sloth in their clan or any other fight in such a way. As the injured felines drew back, the sloths realized there was a pile of stones in their reach. They hurled them at the cats though every time they missed their mark. The stones flew in random directions, completely missing their targets every time as they were thrown by the unskilled mammals.

However, the predators had already gotten the message that chasing after the three wasn't worth the pain and injury. They turned tail and ran away.

The last thing Sheba remembered before passing out was the smilidons disappearing like ghosts into the forest.

* * *

When Sheba woke up, she was back in the gorge, her home, with the other sloths. But it was the dead of winter. There was not the peak of summer when she had tried to escape. She was lying on a bed made of bark in a small cave with a small crowd of sloths frowning at her. She craned her neck to try to spot the two traveling companions.

A husky male sloth came into view.

It was Sheba's last living uncle. He was large and a look of subtle grief was visible on his dead serious face.

"Where are Gary and Amanda?" the teen mouthed warily.

"**Dead**." he said bluntly. Her uncle stared down at her with furrowed brows and a partial frown. But it was not a full scowl. Even though his eyes were stone-hard and almost menacing, his facial expression was somewhat neutral. Sheba's elder wore a look as if he had come to terms that it was the end for the whole family. The sloth's fur was matted and he sported various fresh and old wounds.

The uncle spoke again, his voice hard and unfeeling. "You were out cold for six months. Amanda died bringing you back here."

Sheba's eyes widened. Was_ she _being blamed for their deaths?

"We found you out in the open with Gary after he was attacked by one of those horrid saber-tooth cats." her uncle looked to the ground. "Gary explained how you fought off the sabers so bravely. He died of his injuries shortly after."

The teenager swallowed. Now she was right back where she started. Not only that, but four sloths had died on the expedition.  
"This is the worst winter I have ever seen." he stated bleakly. "We are starving and so are the predators here. They are tracking the last of us down as I speak." Her uncle's voice was suddenly raw with emotion as tears came to his eyes. "Run Sheba! Run away! We will all perish...But you may have a small chance."

Sheba's eyes widened. The teenager looked at the small group of sloths remaining, horrified. She was now sitting up but too shocked and scared to move. Though her uncle was her only family member there left, she couldn't leave him nor any sloth there. She just couldn't.

The old sloth saw her hesitating. He picked Sheba up and placed her in a standing position.

He put a caring paw on her shoulder. "Remember, your family will always love you. And…if you die along with us, your courage will always be remembered here. Whether it is in the wind or the stars, they will reflect what you did to face the enemy and defend the others on the expedition. Now go! _Go_ before it is too late!" He let out a single sob before taking on the same hard, indifferent look from before.

At that, Sheba took off running. She didn't look back. All she knew was that she had to live somehow.

Though she felt the chilling air, and saw the myriad of snowflakes falling, and heard the howling of the wind she knew that against all odds, she would not let her family down.

That winter was the worst Sheba ever endured. But throughout it, she toughened up and used all of her skills and brainpower to survive. Many times she was lost in a never-ending sea of white. To keep warm, she would borrow into the snow and eat anything. Grass, bark, and even other animals that had perished, even though her species was designed to be solely vegetarian.

Several times she had encounters with hungry sabers, and each time by chance or by wits, managed to elude them.

Slowly and painfully, the young sloth made her way out of the gorge, up the slippery snowy cliffs. It was only her will to survive that got her through it.

By the next spring, Sheba was thin and weak but had managed to get out of the gorge and past the mountains surrounding it.

With the change of seasons, a whole new world opened up to her.

The land beyond her old home was a place where animals lived happily though carnivores still hunted them. However, many managed to fight them off and even injure the meat-eaters when they were attacked. Many gathered in groups and communities where some managed to live carefree lives.

However, it was not just the different way things worked with prey and predators in the land beyond her home that made her happy. When spring came, it was like the world was born anew. The flowers of spring never looked so gorgeous nor did the blooming of green buds on the trees. She had done it. Sheba had made it out of her horrible homeland! If anything, the new greenery heightened her happiness and how proud she was of herself.

Still, the young sloth had a hole in her heart from the years of suffering and the complete loss of her family. But to her this was a new beginning; a fresh start.

She would start her own family and use the survival skills she had acquired to protect them. As well, she decided to practice running and fighting, which was grueling work that came unnaturally to sloths. Furthermore, she would not let a smilidon that attacked her live. Sheba decided she would make sure of it.

She would practice from dawn to sunset, until she could take one down to protect herself and her future family.

Time passed and Sheba grew into an adult. She lived alone and spent hours on fighting and other survival skills. Still, she did not go unnoticed.

A small family of sloths noticed her strange behavior. A male from that group soon took interest in her. He watched her karate punch trees and throw rocks at targets.

Sheba took notice of the awestruck male sloth watching her. Still, she never acknowledged him.

After weeks of observing her in silence, Sheba remembered him slowly walking up to her and saying, "Hello. My name is Denny. You have quite some great skills there."

From there, Sheba introduced herself and they quickly developed a relationship. When he learned of her history, Denny was shocked and felt sorry for her. He agreed to join her in her practice sessions though his family thought it was a waste of time. As well, Denny was the only one Sheba, who was stubborn and mean-tempered, was ever patient or kind to.

The couple soon left the pine forest where Denny's family lived to start their own. The two settled in an area with few predators that was fairly secluded. It wasn't long before Sheba had her first child; a daughter.

Though she was considered the meanest mammal around, she had a soft side for her daughter. At first, the hard-headed sloth only dared show tenderness or compassion around her daughter. However, others started to notice her softening when she was with others too. Antelope and deer who passed by that normally saw her ruthlessly hit a tree with her fists found her giving animals directions and even helping a mother bird build a nest.

When she became aware of this, Sheba made sure to split every day between caring for her daughter and practicing her skills. Still, she wanted a large family and to treat them with kindness.

Within a short period of time, Sheba had three more children.

But while the youngest was a newborn, disaster struck. Her two oldest offspring died in an avalanche along with Denny.

Shortly after, a group of wolves moved into the area. After discovering Sheba's home had many prey animals and nothing bigger than a raccoon in the area to hunt anything, they spread the word.

At the time, Sheba had hardened up from the loss of half of her children and mate. Unfortunately, she did not notice the wolves in the area.

However, when three saber-tooth tigers and a cave bear came, she did. As well, many other animals feared the arrival of the new predators and began to retreat.

The female sloth did not think to ask for protection from them. At this point, it was every animal to itself. Bravely, or perhaps foolishness, Sheba decided to stay in the woodland she called home. After years of pain-staking practice, she held completely ready to defend herself and her youngsters on her own.

For a while, this proved effective and she did not run into any confrontations with the carnivores. Part of it was luck and the other was due to her reputation as a sloth that would never let a saber-tooth kill her.

But in time, her lucky streak ended.

It was the spring after the predators arrived. Sheba remembered the time clearly. It was the most gorgeous time of spring. The first flowers had begun to blossom and the harsh winter snows had been replaced by sunny days and an occasional rain.

If there was any time in the year to truly enjoy living, it was now. Young animals frolicked and splashed in puddles of melted snow. Others rolled in the flowers and admired the new plant growth. It was a time to celebrate another harsh Ice Age winter over and live born anew.

It was just one of these mornings when she remembered her life taking another devastating turn. Sheba was exercising in a field, using rocks like barbells to build muscle. She had a close eye on her remaining son and daughter. They were enjoying themselves and stuffing their mouths with dandelions.

Suddenly, faster than she thought possible, a smilidon leapt out of the out of some shrubs at the side of the field. The cat sprinted to her son.

Instantly, she remembered what she had trained for and reacted. Sheba charged toward the cat and hurled one of the heavy stones she had been using at the feline. The rock would have hit its mark had a wolf not dashed beside the saber. The canine took the blow and yelped loudly before falling lifelessly to the ground.

To Sheba's despair, three more wolves and two more smilidons appeared. Sheba growled menacingly and shrieked as she fought hard to save her children. The warrior-like sloth managed to save her son from the saber just as it was about to grab him. The angry mother bit, punched, scratched, and threatened the predators. However it was no use. While driving a sharp stick into the chest of a smilidon after her son, another snatched up her daughter.

However, in a panic, she forgot to stun the feline before running away to save her daughter. The saber, who was bleeding and in extreme pain, turned around and sunk its teeth into Sheba.

The sloth ignored her sudden lightheadness as her life's blood drained away and unbearable pain filled her body.

In a rage, she stormed after the saber who now had her daughter between its jaws. Only when the sloth hit the saber so hard on the head that it released its captor did she realize that her daughter was too badly mauled to be alive.

Sheba's breathing grew ragged and heavy as she sprinted with all she had to save her last living child. However, when she got to the spot where her son had been, all there was were a pair of wolf and saber tracks and a crimson stain on the grass.

With every bit of strength her body possessed, Sheba slowly followed the paw prints. She had not taken more than staggering ten steps before she fell onto a patch of snow. From there, everything in the sloth's vision faded to black.

* * *

It took months for Sheba to recover from her injuries. But by the time her wounds had healed over and healthy fur had grown over the scars, she was a changed mammal.

She no longer had the hard drive to be the best and build something out of her life. Her uncle's last words that had meant so much to her no longer held any relevance. Neither did meeting Denny and fulfilling her dream of having a family. Sheba closed all these experiences out of her mind as her anger grew by the day. As her rage grew inside, Sheba lost touch with her outside world. Every little action another animal did was a horrible act against her.

Whether it was an herbivore or carnivore, she treated them all like enemies that deserved punishment. As well, when animals she attacked dared fight back, in her mind, they became her deadly enemies.

However, the horribly transformed sloth had a special interest in eradicating the world of saber-tooth tigers. Sheba went on special outings just to slaughter them. Other similar looking predators also sometimes became targets when she was too enraged to tell the difference.

The first time she successfully killed a saber-tooth tiger, the maddened sloth was in awe. It gave her a mighty ego boost and she felt like she could control the world. Anyone and anything that stood in her way she could control. Also, if an animal performed the tiniest act she felt was against her, she believed in her head she had the right and power to kill it. The psychopathic mammal even chased after and attacked sloths. However, she was far more likely to leave her own species alone and it took more to get her angry with individuals she encountered.

To Sheba, power and cruel domination was glory. Her life was run by her inextinguishable rage. She also was thrilled by what she could do with the adrenaline boost that accompanied her fury when she felt insulted. It allowed her to accomplish what she had never been able to do no matter how hard she trained herself in warding off predators.

She could bite, wound, and injure animals better than she ever thought sloths were capable of. Her extreme unpredictability and willingness to do heartless things without any hesitation gave her great advantages in fights. As years went by, Sheba got increasing efficient at attacking animals. Rumors spread but no one believed them. Few animals believed a sloth would murder innocent creatures of all types for no explained reason. As well, every story they heard about the manner she attacked seemed grossly exaggerated.

The mad sloth never knew that by the time she had lost her sanity that every move she made and the hate she felt was caused by her unspeakably tragic past.

She targeted sabers the most because of what they had done to her family. As well, she let sloths go most often because subconsciously, deep down, she had an understanding of what it was like to be at the bottom of the food chain and have little natural defenses. Not only was her species ill equipped to fight or to not be preyed upon, but many animals stereotyped them as being lazy, clumsy, slow animals not much more intelligent than a dodo.

As well, her rage stemmed from the chaos and horrendous suffering she had gone through. Sheba had a need to make those suffer as she had by brutally attacking them.

Despite not understanding the roots of her behavior, how the sloth's past affected her in the present only started becoming apparent to her when she began stalking Sassy, Diego, Sid, and the possums. They were the oddest bunch of animals she had ever encountered. As well, whenever she chased them, it was the saber-tooth tiger, Diego, who always picked up Sid, a sloth, so they could get away.

Since the time she had first set eyes on the mismatched bunch, her mind had begun to clear, but only slightly.

Though she refused to admit it, during her many times assaulting and attacking them, that was what had led her to make a deal with them once and let them escape her wrath for a short time.

Also, despite feeling beyond furious at them for breaking their promise to let her travel with them, a bit of pity and curiosity about the odd bunch was what caused her to change her mind and spare them. As well, the look in Sid's eyes as she was about to kill him made her faintly recall her dead family.

Not only that, but in a situation like this, when she had more control than almost any other time over her victims, she began to feel like just killing them right there would not make her feel all powerful over them. They were all huddled together by the side of the rock, exhausted and scared without the courage to try to escape.

As well, when Cayote had attacked her and Sassy had risked her life to defend her, the sloth's world literally turned upside-down.

She experienced a great sense of clarity. Suddenly, she realized the reasons behind the way she acted in life, how her past still haunted her, and more. It seemed it had taken a smilidon—the very species that had caused her so much misery all her life—to make her understand and come to her senses.

As she told the mammals still standing by the ledge about her life, she was shocked by the understanding about herself she gained. As Sheba concluded her speech, she still felt a storm cloud of anger masking her ability to think clearly but she still felt greatly changed.

* * *

During the time the sloth had told her lengthy life story, Diego, Sid, Sassy, Crash, and Eddie had taken the opportunity to get water, grab a bite to eat, and rest. Cayote had done the same.

Although they had missed some of what she had said, each animal had still heard the vast majority of it. As well, for once, Sheba didn't seem to care. She just talked endlessly and paid no attention to whether or not all of them were giving her their undivided attention.

Several times, Diego and the others had contemplated leaving. However, Sassy had insisted against it. As well, despite the many unimaginable things and unworldly suffering Sheba talked about; the group realized she was telling the truth.

As well, as the story went on—though Diego and the possums wanted to leave—Cayote grew incredibly curious. She ended up insisting that everyone listen. Also, Sid eventually began acting very sympathetic toward Sheba, further keeping the group from just leaving.

By the time Sheba, who still lay pitifully on the ground, finished speaking, some of the herd members were stunned.

"_How_ did you survive all that?" Sid blurted as if in awe.

"She really sounds like she _isn't_ lying!" Eddie observed, taking a stunned step back. Crash shrugged.

But Sheba didn't respond. After all this time spending energy speaking after she had her arm crushed, she had lost consciousness. Sid and Eddie stopped blurting questions when they realized the female sloth was out cold.

Although the story had genuinely tugged at his heartstrings, Diego refused to believe a word of it. He focused his attention on Sassy who lay beside Sheba licking herself, as if she only cared for the sloth now.

He growled loudly to grab Sassy's attention. "How _could _you! Why did you choose to protect Sheba after what she did? You betrayed all of us!" he yelled. Though Diego tried to sound collected, he clearly sounded angry and upset.

Sid peered at the sabers warily. He gulped, praying there would be no fight.

Sassy stood up on all four legs and walked toward Diego. "Because," she said looking him in the eye, "I have a plan. I was thinking while Sheba was talking. It is a way to help you." the sabress said genuinely.

"We'll be here till' the end of time. But revered mastodon almighty. I'll stay for now. I admit, you've all got me curious." Cayote muttered so everyone could hear but not enough to disrupt the sabers' argument. She eyed the group inquisitively. Even though she had expected lots of explaining and talking, she never thought it would be this fascinating.

But Diego had enough. "Leave. _Leave_ now Sassy! I've had enough of his!" he growled through gritted teeth.

"But it's Sheba who caused all the problems. All Sassy did is defend her! She did nothing!" Sid stated.

"You know bro. Sid gets less smart by the minute. Doesn't he realize the she has just taken sides with the enemy?" Crash whispered to his brother. He struck a comedic war-like pose.

Eddie shrugged and played with his nails. "I dunno Crash. Sid's got a point...but on the other paw…he has gotten hit on the head many times over his life." The two possums nodded slowly.

"Actually," Sassy replied to Diego after listening to Sid and the possums. "That is what I am planning to do. I'm going to leave." she said without raising her voice.

"Huh?" the animals all gasped at once.

"Guys. I've been messed up all my life. I was born with crazy trances. No male's ever stuck by me for long for that reason. I just realized that today. But maybe…well, another animal crazier than I am is the one for me." Sassy paused and scanned the animal's faces to see if they were catching on. "Sheba seems to be coming to her senses too based on what's she's said. I think I can use this to your advantage. Here's my plan."

Sassy proceeded to explain to everyone what she had come up with. She wanted to attempt to get Sheba to understand her anger better. As well, she hoped to share with her the kind side of saber-tooth tigers and also have Sheba share more about sloths. The saber would be in a relationship with Sheba but that was not the main point. For now, she would just try to stabilize the sloth.

As well, the sabress explained that she didn't feel like she was meant for Diego but that she would do better with an animal like herself she could relate to. Despite what Sheba had done to her, it had brought her closer to understanding how alike she was to the sloth. Even though she knew Sheba could turn on her, she saw things in a new light after saving her. When she thought about the risk involved of being attacked, she decided it was still worth it to her. Both Sheba and Sassy were crazy in different ways and both were now more aware of it than ever thanks to each other.

The female smilidon hoped talking about their pasts and what it was like to live with their problems would help them. For Sassy, it would be ridding herself of her trances and for Sheba, controlling her anger.

However, curing herself and the sloth was not the sabress's top priority. She explained to Sid, Diego, and the possums that if she could get Sheba to stop killing predators, she would leave them alone. She would take Sheba with her and leave Diego, Sid, Crash, and Eddie.

At that, Sassy finished explaining her plan.

As soon as the saber was done, Cayote was skeptical. "What will you do if it doesn't work? Will you just let her free and kill whoever her sick heart desires?" She said with distaste.

Sassy fought hard to look Cayote in the eye. "I will get you to come to her and you can end her life yourself." she forced out. "Also, if she does get aggressive, I'll do _everything_ I can to make sure no one gets hurt and send word to you immediately Cayote." the sabress said with great sincerity.

Everyone aside from Diego nodded.

"It's a risky idea I must say, but it just might work." Cayote told the group. At that, everyone discussed the plan a bit more and decided everything was well worked out. However, Diego was not included much in their planning and felt like the idea for what to do with Sheba was far from well thought out.

After the discussion, Diego was more unhappy than ever. Not only had he had a horrible day and Sassy broken up with him, but his friends had made the decision to give Sheba a chance after she had almost killed all of them. His friends had listened to and believed Sheba's story. As well, they had almost completely ignored his feelings and opinions on how to handle the situation. He sat in silence with his ears back and head down.

After Sassy got some herbs and other plants to help heal Sheba, Cayote began to leave with Sid and the possums. However, Diego didn't budge from where he was.

Just after she got the unconscious sloth onto her back and had bid everyone farewell, the female smilidon noticed Diego sitting motionless. Cautiously, she walked up to him. She could easily guess what was wrong.

"Diego, I am sorry for all of this." Sassy said guiltily. "Please know, I am doing this for you and your friends much more than myself..If I thought staying with you was best, I would." she said with concern.

Diego ignored her. Before the female could say more, he turned his back to her without a word. He then quickly stalked away to catch up with the rest of his herd which had already begun moving.

"I wish you best of luck!" Sassy called over her shoulder.

The sabress sighed. She realized all the problems and stress she had caused Sid, the possums, but most of all Diego. Though she knew now she was not in love with him, she felt very guilty because he had been hurt the most. She glanced at the animals in the distance one last time. "I _promise_ I will make this up to all of you," she said out loud to herself, "..._especially_ you Diego."

* * *

How was it? I had a feeling people have wondered why Sheba acts so mean and vicious without much reason. Hopefully this chapter did a good job explaining it.

Anyway, please read and review as always. Is much appreciated.


	18. A Type of Nostalagia

A special thanks to everyone who has helped me with this story!

**Oh, and I do not own Ice Age.**

**Samual: Hey, what about me?**

**Me: Oh, in that case, I do own you. Since you insist on being in my control, you will now be the admirer of Sheba and Sassy.**

**Samual: What? No? Ya can't be makin' a character because- *duct tapes Samual's mouths shut***

**Me: Now, onto the story!**

* * *

Brown and orange leaves covered the trail to the divide in the mighty stone wall. They swirled in the wind like mind of a certain small mammoth.

Samson was lost in thought, gravely concerned about an array of situations in the near future. He contemplated where he would go and if he would stay Len's herd or Manny and Ellie after everyone met up with their families.

_Will they really take me in? I am so small for my age. If I am left to fend for myself, I don't know if I'll survive─ especially since winter is about to begin! But surely Len, Basil, and Talia's herds remember me from when I stayed with them a year back. _

Samson sighed. It was likely but he couldn't be sure. He was watching Manny and Ellie walking ahead of him when another thought popped into his head.

_Wait, what about the rest of Manny and Ellie's herd? How can we be sure they will be there waiting on the other side of the wall? They could have died on the way to the divide or be lost somewhere. Sure Manny and Ellie explained to us that they told the saber tooth tiger, sloth, and possums from their herd where to find them, but how can they be sure? And Len, Basil, Talia, and Samual's herds: what about them?_

Samson recalled Manny, Ellie, and the others discussing how they would find the rest of the group at various points along their journey. From what he gathered from the talks, Manny, Ellie, Len, Talia, Basil, and Samual seemed worried about the topic yet somehow sure everything would work out. To Samson, the odds didn't seem to be in favor of what everyone expected…

* * *

Time passed and group treaded closer to the opening still far in the distance.

But as they entered the beginning of the zone the earthquake had affected, Samson began to feel the presence of something odd and disturbing. Every member of the group also seemed to sense something was amiss. He heard Ellie, Samual, Talia, and Len muttering suddenly. As well, Scrat began to squeak nervously.

Manny suddenly turned around and motioned for everyone to stop. "Guys, there could be danger ahead. We need to keep moving but with caution. That means stay quiet." He shot a glare at Samual, Talia, and Scrat to nonverbally remind that he was serious about staying silent.

The mammals obeyed Manfred. They walked in absolute silence, alert for any sign of danger. Even the vocal squirrel and motormouth Talia did not utter a sound.

This situation reminded Samson how the group had been traveling several miles away from the wall during the majority of their journey. They had done so to steer clear of the destruction zone from the earthquake in case any dangers lurked there. During that time, the mammals had asked the locals if they knew of any opening in the wall in case there was one they couldn't see in the distance. Unfortunately, most were trying to find their families and were as clueless as they were. But now that all of them had set foot in the area the huge tremor had hit, the light-chestnut furred teen pondered if they should turn back due to the strange vibes everyone was getting. The area could still be unstable or predators might be nearby!

Meanwhile, the rest of the group (excluding Manny) wondered if this was a sign that Len prediction was about to come true. They had not detected any concrete signs of danger yet. Still, the eerie, almost predator-like presence around left them scared and anxious. Talia desperately wanted to mention Len's prediction again and recommend they turn back. However, she held herself back out of fear of ruining their plan.

Ellie furrowed her brow. "I'm gettin' a **serious** case of déjà vu." Ellie remarked after a while, breaking the silence.

"Don't worry. We just need to stay alert and keep quiet." Manny assured her unconvincingly. His fur was puffed out slightly and his voice wavered a bit as he spoke. The bull didn't admit it but he was afraid─ especially for his daughter Peaches.

Basil shot Len a worried glance.

"We're almost in the place that quake hit." Talia said dimly, forgetting Manny's instructions. "Here is where the bunch of trees starts. ...The fallen forest of trees from the earthquake I mean." She pointed with her trunk to numerous fallen evergreen and leafless deciduous trees. They were partially concealed by a few inches of snow that had fallen in the two weeks since the disaster occurred. "… Samual, you definitely found a passage to the other side the wall. Now that we're closer to it, I can see it cuts through the rock right to the other side!"

"Yep. We found it thanks to me. Samual said, beaming. "Speakin' of the area the quake affected, I bet there is a lot of stuff left behind. Like leaves coverin' uprooted trees and animals that didn't survive." Samual added with a slight hint of optimism.

"Sssh. Quiet." Manny whispered.

But Samual didn't notice. "Say, speakin' of animals that passed away Ellie, wouldn't ya carnivore pal enjoy this place? Lots of meat… Ya know… spoiled leftovers…" The ungulate quirked an eyebrow.

"That would be Diego." Ellie replied quietly. "And no, I don't think he likes carrion…"

Peaches chirped eagerly and motioned with her trunk as if her mother was talking about a tasty, edible food.

"No. Not for you sweat heart. You're not a scavenger honey."

"Ya know, it's strange that this catastrophe got us all together. The wall that rose during the earthquake looks pretty unnatural too─ human-caused almost." the tawny caribou continued.

"I agree. Manny and I were talking about how odd it was that it just rose out of no where when the earthquake first happened." the shemoth answered. "Samual, we really should stop talking. I still have that feelin' that there could be something hunting us." Len nodded.

However, Talia was too preoccupied with the astonishing wave of destruction left behind to heed Ellie's warning. There was newly created ditches, deep chasms, debris chocked streams, and an overpowering smell of pines, leaf litter, and decomposition. But what most impressed the young cow was the massive mixed pine forest that lay flat right next to the trail the herd followed. All of which demanded conversation and her attention.

"Wow… Yeah. I know right? All the scenery… it's sad and yet …_stunning_…." Talia eyed the sights before her and the grey stone wall in the distance with awe. "Doesn't it make you think-"

"Guys!" Manny cut in. "Quiet! Do you want something bad to happen because all of you are off-guard?" he yelled as a wave of anxiety came over him.

Talia's eyes wandered from a majestic uprooted pine to the infuriated mammoth. "Huh?"

Samual craned his neck back to address all of the animals. "Ya know what, I don't feel that weird presence anymore. Manny's wrong. It's probably just in our heads. We can chat a lil' bit." the perfunctory caribou remarked.

Manfred stamped to the front of the group angrily. He faced them so everyone was guaranteed to hear. "When I say stay quiet, I mean quiet! There are _no_ exceptions!" the bull gazed at Samual and Talia sourly.

"Ahh. Don't worry so much ya fat pachyderm." Samual said with a grin, foolishly ignoring the mammoth's order. Talia suppressed a giggle.

"For the last time, I am _**not**_ fat!" Manny rumbled loudly, forgetting his own rule. His irate voice echoed in the distance.

Suddenly, all heads turned. There was a suspicious rustling noise. Startled, Samson jumped back. Scrat screamed in terror as his acorn went tumbling to the ground from where he sat on the mammoth's back.

Then, growling was heard from a berry bush and so were heavy paw steps. "Oh no…" Len muttered. "**Now**! Do what we _planned_! Quickly!" he shouted suddenly.

Ellie, Basil, Talia, Samson, and Samual only took a brief moment to act. Copying Len, the mammals formed a defensive ring around Peaches with their tusks and antlers on the outside of the circle. Manny didn't have time to question or advise the group to do otherwise. The mammoth was unintentionally shoved by other hurrying mammoths and caribou to the outer, defending part of the circle.

Two large and very hungry looking dire wolves burst out from behind two fallen trees. They circled the group's protection formation around Peaches. The vicious, yellow-eyed predators growled and snapped their jaws in the mammals' faces to test their willpower to defend and not flee.

The mammoths rumbled in warning and thrust their tusks at either wolf that got too close.

Scrat held tightly onto the thick fur on Samson's head, hyperventilating. But suddenly, a third dire wolf lunged at the poor squirrel. Automatically, Samson ducked but that enabled the canine to land on his back full-force and knock Scrat to the side.

Abruptly, another of the carnivores bit at the small mammoth which caused him to back up and collapse under the weight of the first wolf. To the herbivores' dismay, two additional dire wolves appeared. Chaos ensued as the mammals struggled to shield Peaches while fighting off the wolves that were attacking Samson at the same time.

Meanwhile, Scrat hastily climbed up a tree. He stood no chance against these large canines. Still, he tried his best to aid Samson by throwing sticks at the large carnivores and shouting in his own language to distract them. But to his dismay, the predators paid almost no attention.

As the battle continued, Basil attempted to snatch Peaches but was bitten harshly from behind. Meanwhile, Talia found herself guarding Samual and attempting to force a wolf off Samson simultaneously. Manny was charging after two of the grey and white creatures that were after Ellie. She in turn was defending Peaches from the same two carnivores. Len was at the fringe of the group. He was both trying to chase off the wolves that were forced to the side and shouting instructions to the herd on how to regroup at the same time.

However, with all the chaos, his commands fell on death ears. The five dire wolves slowly managed to separate them. This left Manny, Samson, and Peaches on one side and the rest of the animals on another.

By then the herbivores were exhausted. As well, both parties sported wounds, bruises, and other injuries. Unfortunately, the wolf pack had reinforcements.

Two fresh and energetic wolves bounded between the Samson, Manny, Peaches, and the others, widening the gap between them.

The two newest predators and three of the more tired canines focused on forcing Samual, Len, Talia, Basil, and Ellie back while the last two targeted the rest.

The larger bunch of herbivores desperately tried to move their way forward and throw their pursers aside. But to their dismay, that just resulted in painful bites and being driven further back.

Meanwhile, Manny was fiercely fighting as well. Adrenaline coursed through the mammoth's veins charged at the two worn wolves after his daughter and the already wounded Samson. However, as he was pursuing a wolf about to sink its fangs into the injured teenager, he heard an anguished cry.

"Manny, **_PEACHES_**!" Ellie screamed as a wolf leapt onto his daughter.

Time seemed to slow down. Manfred found himself in an all too terrifying and familiar situation. He paused mid-charge. Bloodthirsty wolves were mauling Ellie and he had no way of reaching her. As well, he his Peaches was about to be attacked and a wolf looked ready to give Samson─ who he had grown to consider almost like a son─ a throat bite.

He just stood there breathlessly, beads of cold sweat flowing down his coat. Painful memories of his first family's death flooded his mind and filled him with misery. Manny tried to force himself to move with all his might. But he _couldn'_t; he was like a statue glued in place by contrition and years of suffering.

Within the realm of grief and despair, he barely registered Len and Basil breaking through the blockade of dire wolves. They were viciously bitten, nearly knocked over, and chased viciously as they came to Peaches's and Samson's aid. Still, Manfred did not move.

Only when Basil drove a tusk into one wolf, and Len snatched up Peaches did Manny find the inner strength to fight. Suddenly, the tables were turned.

Manny fought with no mercy to save his family. He raced for the wolf that had tried to kill Peaches and mauled another without hesitation. As well, Talia managed to fatally trample one of the canines.

In the end, three of the seven predators were left dead and Peaches with only a few minor scratches. However, Samson's fur was blotched with red and he struggled to stand. Furthermore, the rest were injured in varying degrees from fairly minor bites to numerous still bleeding cuts and scrapes.

Only when everyone had regrouped and all certain that the predators were gone did Manny find the strength to speak. His vision was cloudy and mind hazy but he vividly remembered the service Len and Basil had done for him.

"You two… Len, Basil… I can not thank you enough for what you have done." He felt faint but the fact that Peaches was almost untouched and that Ellie was still alive dispelled some of the shock.

"You're welcome." Len breathed, weak from the battle. Basil also gave the mammoth an affirmative nod.

"I-I …I don't know how I can ever repay you." the dark chestnut father struggled to make eye contact with the two battered teenagers. He almost felt like was living in a dream world. The very creature who had killed his first child had just risked his life for his daughter. Not to mention, Basil had saved Samson!

"No." Len stated. His deep hazel eyes stared deeply into Manny's. His enigmatic gaze conveyed he was wise beyond his years. "There is no need. It is I who is in your debt. I have repaid you for my wrongdoing in the past…. but only small amount. What was done to your first child cannot be fixed nor the timeline of events after reversed. All I can do is try my best to help you."

The young pachyderm's words brought tears to the father's eyes. There was a long silence between the two as they stared at each other wordlessly, letting the deepness of what was said sink in.

"Thanks." Manfred finally managed. He gazed at Len with a warm, grateful expression.

He turned to Basil. "I can not thank you enough either. I-I am forever in your debt. Samson is well…" Manny paused for a moment. "…Like a son to me."

"I understand. Like my friend said though, you don't need to repay me. I did what anyone would do to save a life." Basil stated with sincerity.

Ellie─ who had been inspecting her newborn daughter for injuries until now─ rushed to Manny and enveloped him in a tight hug. "I am so happy!" she said fervently. "I grateful you and our daughter are alright!" Tears ran down her cheeks. "Len, Basil, thank you so much for saving my daughter and Samson. I also consider him a child of mine."

Manny returned the gesture and hugged her with his trunk. Samson was in great pain and light-headed but he couldn't help but smile. He would have a family after all once everyone went their separate ways. Samson was almost certain now he would stay with Manny, Ellie, Peaches, and the other species that comprised their oddball herd.

Samual was also tearing up. He grabbed Talia's trunk and used it like a handkerchief. The young cow quickly pulled her trunk away, disgusted.

Scrat, who had been seated along the mammoths, suddenly spotted a familiar object out of the corner of his eye. He gasped and flicked his long, furry tail in surprise. It was his acorn! It had somehow survived through the battle.

The squirrel gleefully hopped toward his beloved. But when he got closer, he realized it was nothing but the trampled, flattened left-over of his nut. He carefully peeled the acorn off the hard ground. To his surprise, the acorn suddenly contorted back to its original round shape. He let out a cry of joy and pranced in a circle. But true to any time the poor squirrel got his paws on an acorn, something went wrong. The acorn suddenly cracked and broke into hundreds of miniscule fragments.

* * *

That night, the herd set up camp after everyone's wounds had been tended to and cleaned.

Samson was sprayed out on his side, fast asleep. Manny, Ellie, and Peaches were settled next to him along with Scrat who was pouting over his destroyed acorn.

Basil and Samual were also resting. However, all the mammals besides Samson and Scrat were alert and listening. Len was discussing his predictions to the herd once more and was explaining them to Manny. Talia stood beside Len, adding in details to the complex and lengthy dialogue.

"So." Len concluded. "This is what I was trying to warn you about earlier Manny. The predication─ that I wish it had been wrong about─ happened as I had expected this afternoon." he stared at Manny and the rest gravely.

"And you know how we tried to form a circle to protect Peaches? That was part of our plan if something attacked us. We worked it out early this afternoon in case Len's prediction was true." Talia added.

Manny let out a sigh. "You are right. Len is worth trusting on this. And whether the predictions come true or not, being prepared does no harm."

"Sorry for deceivin' ya and all." Samual added. "But-" The ungulate yawned widely. "But we had all of ya best interests in mind."

Manfred nodded. "I agree with the plans everyone came up with. I have no way to prove that you are correct Len…. But since this was my daughter's life you predicted that we had to save… I-I am not in a position to doubt what you say."

Len nodded slightly. "I am by **no** means trying forcing you to believe me. I want the best for all of us. …But still, thanks."

"Sorry to interrupt." Ellie cut in. "But Len, didn't you say that this isn't the worst of it? There will be an even greater threat when we need up with Diego, Sid, and my brothers?" She frowned, praying that aspect of his prediction had somehow changed.

"Yes. I am afraid so." Len replied bleakly.

Ellie gave her mate a worried glance. He locked trunks with her. "I'm sure we can work something out."

"Promise you won't freeze like that when Peaches is in trouble again ok?" she stated, her beautiful green eyes full of concern. "We can't afford to lose her."

Manny gazed lovingly into her eyes. "I will never ever let my fears leave me unable to defend our family again. I'll make sure of it." he reassured her whole-heartedly.

"Well, I'm sure we have time to plan for it since we agreed to rest a few days." Talia commented with a forced smile, feeling the need to change the subject.

"Agreed. That will give us some time to recover too. I do have my doubts though on if we can makin' it. None of us will be fully healed. And we have no idea where the rest of our herds are!" Ellie reasoned.

Samual shot her an obstinate glance. "Ellie, if there is one thing I know about the world, if there' a will, there's a way! Ya need to remember that and look on the good side."

Ellie sighed. _He's right. I need to stay strong._

After further discussion, everything was decided. The next few days would be spent strategizing and recuperating. As well, Manny would work to overcome the paralyzing fear that caused him to stand motionlessly when his family's lives were threatened.

Still, there was one issue that had not even been mentioned. It irked Scrat to no end. No one had agreed to look out for his acorns! As well, none of the mammals had replaced the ones they had destroyed.

He jumped in front of the animals. He balled his paws into fists and squeaked in anger.

The other animals just gave him baffled looks and Talia burst out laughing.

Scrat eventually got Len's attention and gestured to him that he wanted everyone to be careful around his acorns. But somehow, despite Len's great intelligence, he misinterpreted the angry rodent.

The mammoth left and returned with a round stone, some frozen berries, and a pinecone. Scrat slapped himself on the forehead. He didn't like to eat pinecones or berries!

It had not just been a scary and eventful day for the mammoths and caribou. It was a bad day to be a Scrat.

Meanwhile, a nasty foe was awaited the herd. They could only guess the sheer magnitude of the monstrosity awaiting them or if they would survive. Nor were they aware of the role a certain daft duo would play in the vitality of 'the herd of odds'...

* * *

How was it? I thought this was not as good as usual partly because I was trying to clear up a few inconsistencies a friend mentioned. R & R. :)


	19. Death or Endure

**First, I am sorry for the _long_, _long_ time since I last updated! I have been very busy with school and other responsibilities and have been wanting to work on this but have not had time. :( I have 3 more chapters almost fully written and in need of editing. I will try to get them posted soon if I can. Thank you for your patience.**

**A/N:**

**A special thanks goes to my cousin for betaing this for me! :D**

**Credit also goes to the author of Cruel Intentions: Lacrimosa for the inspiration and ideas her story has given me for writing descriptions. :)**

**This is heavy-duty chapter. I won't give anything away, but please see the notice below. ;)**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter contains much violence and bloodshed. Please keep this in mind before reading.**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The afternoon sun shone softly on the snow-coated landscape, the white powder glistening in the sun's rays. Scattered, white-grey clouds adorned the mighty blue sky far above a shallow valley, and certain steep rock wall.

Not far from a sharp divide in the stone fortification, a squirrel, seven mammoths, and a caribou were on the move. Four days had passed since the nine animals of the herd, Talia, Len, Basil, Manfred, Peaches, Ellie, Scrat, Samual, and Samson, had fought off a vicious dire wolf attack. Though they still had painful healing wounds and bruises from the attack, the herd's morale could not have been higher. Their entrance on the other side of the enormous rock wall had also tremendously lifted their spirits, even though Len's dim prediction was still in the back of their minds.

As the herd roamed farther into the valley, they observed that, just as on the side of the rock wall they had just crossed, whole forests of pines, firs, and maples laid amongst other debris on the quake-ravaged land.

Still, that did not dampen the animals' moods. Manny, Samson, Ellie, and the others knew they had made a great accomplishment in crossing through the wall after Samual found an opening in it.

Manny stood tall as the group walked along; a few of his worries were shattered after their successful journey through the passage. As he gazed back at the stony tower in the distance, he left out a belated sigh of relief. Manfred felt more confident about finding the rest of his herd despite the challenges that still lay ahead.

Alongside Manny were Ellie, Len, and Samson. Their feelings about crossing the endless wall of granite echoed their herd leader's exactly. They exchanged a single joyful, knowing, glance.

"We're on the other side! We're made it to across the wall!" Talia and Samual chorused happily at the rear of the group. Both wore gleeful smiles as they pranced in a circle.

Basil, who stood a few strides ahead of them, surprised himself by singing stupidly with the others. For a change, he was loosening up and expressing his childish joy.

Scrat was optimistic as well, but on his own mission. Now that they had traveled across the passage, the herd would be heading out of the disaster zone (the area affected by the earthquake), which meant Scrat would finally have access to acorn-bearing trees! He dashed off, too impatient to pause for even a second.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the group traveled onward into the early evening, their joy slowly faded. There was no sign of Diego, Sid, Crash, Eddie, or any other animals. The latter of the two was most troubling.

Scents of former inhabitants were weak and dull, and there were no paw prints in the snow. The herd was not even blessed with the distant cry of a bird—the area was desolate. It was as if all the creatures had simply vanished, perhaps victims of the earthquake, or survivors who had fled.

Samson felt a pang of loneliness as he looked out across the vast landscape, littered with fallen tree. Even on his journeys as a teenage nomad without herd or family, he had never felt so alone. The young mammoth glanced over at Manny, a pained look in his large, brown eyes.

Manfred looked back at Samson sympathetically, conveying his wordless understanding. Manfred let out a troubled sigh as he turned toward the rest of the herd.

"Has anyone detected any sign of our herd, any other animals? Footprints, an awful, fungus-like sloth odor… _anything_?" Manny asked for the sixth time as the sun began to set. His eyes darted around as he anxiously scanned the faces of the other mammoths and caribou.

Manfred wished Diego was with them. If only he wasn't missing, he could help them track the others.

"I'm sorry honey. I don't know. If Diego, Sid… especially my brothers were nearby, my possum senses would be tinglin'." Ellie cast a concerned glance at her deeply frowning mate.

"And you?" Snow crunched beneath Manny's feet as he solemnly lumbered up to Len.

Len shook his head. "I am afraid I have not caught a trace of anything since we set foot here." The younger mammoth lowered his head in disappointment as his lack of foresight had been a personal insult to Manny.

"Basil, Talia? Anything?" Manny urged.

Basil slowly shook his head.

"Not a creature was stirring─ not even a mouse." Talia blurted, observing the deserted landscape all around them. She grinned slightly.

Manfred just glared at her.

The female cowered slightly. "Nope, I don't have any idea…" she admitted. Her smile faded completely.

"Samual?" The mammoth raised an eyebrow hopefully.

Samual sniffed deeply before shaking his head forlornly. "Nope. Sorry." He answered. "To tell ya the truth, I don't smell a single animal around. Though I can say a snowstorm may be hittin' sometime soon judgin' from the sky." Samual gestured to the sky with a hoof. "It looks like a whole _biiiiiigggg_-"

"**Enough**!" Manfred huffed. His clueless and obnoxious herd mates were shredding his last bits of patience. "It's obvious enough no one is here! …Let's set up camp before the snowstorm."

Manny took several steps away from the herd and let out a loud sigh of frustration.

Samson glanced at Ellie and then morosely at Manfred. "Umm… I hate to bother everyone, but has anyone seen the acorn-loving squirrel that travels with us?" Samson asked. He wondered why his acorn-obsessed friend had not returned.

The group shook their heads.

Ellie and put her trunk on Samson's shoulder; she sensed his growing discomfort. "Don't worry sweetie. I'm sure we'll find him tomorrow." Ellie assured him.

Samson still had a heavy limp and deep wounds that had yet to scab over: he had the the most severe injuries of anyone in the herd.

Len opened his mouth to speak to Samson when an eerie wind blew past. The mammoth peered around, eyes wide. Huge, sooty clouds drifted across the sun and turned the previously bright sky a dark, haunting gray. A chill ran up Len's spine as the temperature abruptly dropped.

The others turned their attention to the odd disturbance, some muttering nervously.

The fur puffed out on Len's back. _Is something supernatural amongst us?_ It almost felt like something high and mighty was at work─as when Len was having a disturbing vision. Len shuddered. _The spirits? The ones I worshiped in his tribe as a human? _Whether it was them or not, he could feel a phantom-like presence he did not want to be around…

Suddenly, a vicious gust wind whistled past them, throwing snow in everyone's faces and blocking their vision of the darkened landscape ahead.

"Stay together and keep calm." Len commanded. "We keep going until he find shelter. Not a word unless it is related to this." He casted a grim, serious stare at everyone as fear flickered briefly across his determined hazel eyes.

Ellie's dazzling green eyes were wide with fright. "Len," Ellie whispered, "what is _happening_?" The cow tucked Peaches close to her body.

Len could barely make out her face between each ferocious gust of snow, but he didn't need to see her face to know the terror she was feeling. Something wasn't right: he had never experienced such a dramatic change in the weather.

Furthermore, Len had the feeling he and the rest of the herd were being watched.

Len took a deep breath. "My prediction… It is beginning as I speak." he forced out as he fought to keep his voice steady. To Len's dismay, his prediction was right on schedule and seemed even more eerily threatening than he had imagined. Like the others, he rested on a slippery, unsteady rock; he did not know what would happen when his dire prediction came true.

Time passed at an agonizingly slow pace. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes like hours. As they could not see well enough to make out anything more than a few meters in front of them, the herd huddled together for security and warmth. Piles of snow had already collected on their backs, and none of animals could see a jagged rock or a cliff less than ten meters away.

Suddenly, ghostly howl echoed in the distance. Was the sound close, or a distant noise carried to them on the wind? Was it a nightmarish figment of the herd's imaginations? Several of the mammoths shuddered.

Strangely and frighteningly, the noise grew louder and increasingly ghostly. It was as if undead creatures were among them.

Suddenly a loud, squealing trumpet erupted as sharp teeth bit into tender flesh. Because they were huddled so close together, the herd felt the force of the creature that attacked, as well as the victim bumping against their tightly crowded bodies before it fell to the ground.

"It's LEN!" Ellie practically shrieked. "Something attacked him! I saw-" But her words were cut off by an ear-shattering scream of her own.

In the heat of the moment, Manfred lunged for Ellie, accidently goring his belly on Samual's antlers, which he could not see in such low visibility. The caribou let out a muffled cry of pain as his head was forced painfully to the side. But the mammoth barely noticed the caribou or the blood flowing from deep puncture wounds left by the antlers. He reached his daughter—his reason for living—just in time before snarling creature could clamp down on the calf's throat.

Samson's mind raced. Why had he not been attacked? He was standing there foolishly, too petrified to move or come to anyone's aid. Realization struck him like a hard, cold blow to the face.

_They haven't noticed me yet because I am not moving… But I have to do something! Weak, injured, or not, I am just standing here—a spineless coward! _Samson admonished himself._ How could I let everyone fight for their lives and shed blood while I stand here motionless praying for a few seconds more of my own survival?_

Enraged at his cravenly ways, Samson charged into action, blindly thrusting his thin tusks toward a ferocious, growling creature he could not see. He heard a brief clamor as his tusks somehow impaled one of the monstrous creatures. But Samson's good fortune was short lived.

Another of the attackers—this one only a few feet in front of him but still not visible due to the fiercely falling snow—sunk its sharp canines into his trunk. The huge creature used its strength and ipowerful grip to pull him down head-first. Samson felt as though four huge, needle-sharp spears had lodged themselves deeply in his flesh.

Still, he refused to let the fiendish attacker win_. _The cries of his friends were all around him.

_I will not give up! If I die—even if I do not have a chance to directly defend them—I have to fight with all my strength. I owe it to them: for taking me in, for risking their lives for me. The least I could do was __**try**__ to save them, to fight, not just for me… but for them, too. _

_xxxxxxxx_

As the battle continued, the demonic creatures easily separated the members of the terrified herd. The herd members were scared, wounded, and a few barely conscious. Furthermore, the herd's pursers outnumbered them three to one: any resistance was futile.

Though Samson had been dragged away from his herd mates, and though his mauled, crimson-stained body ached to pass out, to let his attackers take his life right there, he still refused to crumple to the ground. His legs shook uncontrollably; the blood loss and exhaustion made even supporting his own weight an excruciatingly difficult task.

As a single, monstrous creature held Samson in place, more leapt onto his back, and the others bit savagely at his belly and flank.

The rest of the herd was not faring much better.

Manny had been cornered by four of the viciously biting and snapping creatures. The terrified father was carrying Peaches—who the attackers seemed insistent on taking from him. At the same time, he concentrated all of his surviving energy on keeping her out of the demonic creatures' bloodthirsty mouths as they bit and clawed at his hide. Suddenly he felt razor-sharp teeth tear into his side and another clamp down on his leg.

At that moment, Manny knew he had to act quickly or perish. In a final effort to save his precious daughter and hide from his pursers, he charged blindly ahead and knocked the creatures away. Due to the fiercely falling snow, Manny could not see a small cliff his path as he charged. The mammoth accidently stumbled over the edge and landed with a thud and groan of pain.

Quickly but still warily, Manny hauled his aching body off the ground. He still had his trunk gently wrapped around Peaches, who he had managed to keep safe during the fall. With the tip of his trunk, Manny felt his way around the rocky cliff and detected a small nook beneath the ledge in which he had fallen from. Realizing he had found a place to hide, he scurried into the hiding spot.

He and Peaches huddled within the incommodious refuge. To keep Peaches warm, Manny sandwiched Peaches between the rocky nook and his own body. However, Manny could not fit completely into the small space under the ledge. Half of his body was subjected to the biting cold and wind. Despite the unbearable weather and the battering his body had already taken, Manfred was determined save his daughter. To do that, he had to remain unnoticed by the assailants above—a difficult task due to the pungent smell of blood that marked his trail down the ledge...

Meanwhile, Len was barely conscious. The greatly weakened mammoth lay motionless. He prayed the predators already thought he was dead. But even in his semi-conscious state, he knew the herd was being attacked. Len needed to think, and think fast! But the mammoth's mind refused to function. His body was cold….so _cold_.

Len's blood-soaked pelt had begun to freeze, preventing his warm winter coat from insulating him properly against the storm. The combination of blood loss, agonizing pain, and terror of the unknown creatures growling around him further hindered his ability to focus.

Meanwhile, Samual had been buried in the rapidly falling snow. The caribou opted to stay there, even as the snow piled higher over his head. Though he was not the brightest creature, he knew it was his only hope of survival. Luckily, other than a throbbing pain in his neck from Manny literally running over him, he was unscathed.

As the others fought to stay alive, Basil laid on his stomach with his head on the ground. He had done his best to defend the herd from the attackers, and was now too weak to fight on. Though the badly mangled mammoth still possessed enough stamina to stir should he wish it, he tried to lay as still as a corpse. Basil was deeply afraid of attracting the predators' attention. Luckily, his shallow breathing and the lack of visibility made appearing dead fairly easy. The fact that attackers could not see much better than Basil also gave him an advantage.

Still, playing dead only provided Basil with a meager chance of survival. The gusts of snow were constant and fierce against his battered, cold-numbed body. Luckily, Talia—who was fighting the assailants fiercely in front of him—awarded him more than a minute, fleeting speck of hope that he might live. She, after all, was able to stand and could give him medical attention after the attackers were gone if she was not severely injured by then.

Yet Talia was only up and fighting due to pure luck. Thanks to some well-timed blows and strikes with her tusks and feet, she had managed to kill a few of the beasts. As a result, the surviving attackers were more hesitant to stage attacks on her. The beasts' timidity presented Talia with greater chance to avoid bodily injury and keep them away from Basil. At the same time, the young female was running on little more than the adrenaline. Talia was growing more tired and cold as the fight continued and the storm raged.

The odds that Manny, Ellie, Peaches, Talia, Basil, Len, Samson, and Samual would survive were minute. Each of the herd members was well aware that if this continued, they might never survive to see their herds or loved ones again.

If the demonic things were not beaten down and the storm didn't end soon, the herd would be lost to history. No one would ever know the perils the herd had faced, the trials they endured to find their families, or the sheer tenacity and determination they had fought with, when they looked Hades straight in the eye.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**Like it? Hate it? Are you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next chapter? Please let me know what you think with a review! ;)**


	20. Eye of the Storm

**Sorry for the huge delay. :(**

** Summer semester in college was busier than expected. I will likely to continue to be busy since Fall semester starts this week and I am taking a full load of classes and working part-time. So I will do my best to write and update as much as I can.****And don't worry, I am NOT going to abandon this story. No matter how long it takes, I promise I will finish it. ;) ****But *please* do review. It gives me a lot of inspiration and makes me update faster. Please see the notice below...**

******NOTE: This chapter contains moderate blood and gore. It does not have as much as the last chapter but still enough to that I need to give a notice. ****As well, I changed the names of several of my chapters. However, the chapters themselves have _NOT_ changed. So you didn't miss anything if you have read up to here. ;)**

******I have forgotten my**** overused disclaimer for a many chapters now haven't I? Ah well, here it is. :P ****I do NOT own Ice Age, its plot, characters, ecetera ecetera... If I did, I would be making Ice Age movies. I only own my OC's.**

_As always, thoughts are in italics._

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Three days had passed since the mad-sloth induced encounter with the cave lions.

As Diego, Crash, Eddie, Sid, and Cayote traveled, a wide yet shallow valley came into view. To the group's relief, the grey outline of the towering wall that had split the herd in two and a gap wide enough for a mammoth herd to travel through was visible at its end.

Not far into the curve of the valley below, the mammals could see thousands of dull green and brown fallen trees blotched with ivory-colored snow. As well, above the area in which they were traveling, grey, snow-laden clouds had begun to fill the sky.

Despite the threat posed by the clouds and that the stone wall was less than a day's walk away, another topic was on the animals' minds. During the past few days, they had spotted trails of paw prints left by Sassy and Sheba. The sloth and saber seemed to be heading in the same general direction as they but also avoiding them as shown by their roundabout paths. Still, Cayote, Crash, Eddie, and Diego were suspicious that Sheba was purposely following and manipulating them. Still, none of the other animals were feeling nearly as agitated about that as the saber-toothed tiger of the group.

Diego growled. For the third time in a single day, he had caught the scent of Sassy and Sheba. "We need to turn back now!" he yelled forcefully.

Sid rushed to Diego's side. "What? Isn't this the way to Manny and Ellie?" Sid questioned nervously. The sloth bit his lower lip, having noticed his friend's defensive posture.

Malice and antipathy briefly flickered in Diego's green eyes: anger was burning within him like an inextinguishable wildfire. However, the intense irritation exhibited by the smilodon was neither directed toward Sid nor any of the other animals in his presence. Sassy had betrayed Diego by joining Sheba, thus leaving him heartbroken and afraid that Sheba would return.

Cayote glanced briefly at Diego; she sensed the saber's intense inner-turmoil. However, she remained silent; her attention was directed more at the sky. Though she wanted to deny it, her instincts told her those were more than just a dangerous "daft duo" to worry about…

The mammoth snapped out of the reverie. To her chagrin, Diego was now glaring intensely at Sid—presumably for his misguided comment from a few minutes prior.

Unfortunately, Sid was just as clueless as before about the smilodon's plight. With a nervous chuckle and off-the-wall comment about "hormonal" and "moody" carnivores, he begrudgingly backed away from Diego.

"Sid!" Cayote snapped. "Can't you see why he's acting like that? Or are ya just that brainless?"

Before Sid could respond to the abrasive comment, the possums cut him off. "Dude, we've seen pairs of sloth and saber prints like… at least three times a day lately!" Crash exclaimed with a wave of his arms.

"Yeah, Sassy could've broken her promise and be plotting against us. Why shouldn't we backtrack if the demon-sloth and she are around?" Eddie shivered fearfully. "They could be planning to kill us, shave off our fur so we look like naked mole rats, and eat us for dinner!"

Crash nodded in his brother's direction. He pointed at Sid. "Ditto. Even we possums know what goin' on. Sid, you really need some serious survival practice…. That or predator turns you into fungus stew! Hahahaha! ….Whoa!"

The laughing possum nearly stumbled into a large, deep, indentation in the snow. On either side on him, there hundreds of foot prints… maybe even close to a thousand. Many overlapped. In some areas, the ground was completely flattened out.

Diego, Sid, and Eddie wore nearly identical baffled expressions. Crash and Cayote were only two animals that did seem somewhat bewildered.

Sid stared ahead at the endless trail of prints. "Hmm. I assume you guys were not talking about tracks like this when you mentioned Sassy and Sheba." Sid mumbled to Crash and Eddie. He put a claw to his chin thoughtfully.

Cayote snorted through her trunk. "Of course we weren't you dunce! This is clearly a trail left by-"

But the hot-headed teenager was cut off by a sudden deafening thunderclap and the loud girlish screams of Sid and the possums.

Ominous grey clouds rolled in as a chilly breeze blew past the animals.

"Joy." Cayote muttered sarcastically.

"A huge and mighty snowstorm?" Sid lisped, flinching.

"Yep." Cayote replied nonchalantly.

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Diego and the possums flashed Cayote fearful looks as snow began to fall from the sky suddenly. There was another intense rumble and the wind began to pick up.

"Follow my lead you all. This has got to be the beginning of a storm worse than most even in the high tundra. With luck, my directional sense will lead us toward the gap in the wall." the nomad tundra mammoth instructed.

"Are you out of your mind? We need to stop and find shelter!" Diego yelled as his anger resurfaced. His huge claws dug savagely into the snow. "Does this look like-" Diego realized his voice muffled somewhat by ever-louder gusts of wind.

Cayote's intense and unyielding hazel eyes penetrated Diego's own spite-filled ones. "Trust me saber. I've been through more than enough storms on the tundra to know what to do when one like this shows up. I would survive with moderate frostbite it if I hunkered down in the snow." She shot Diego, Crash, Eddie, and Sid a stern but concerned glance. "…On the other paw, you and your annoying little possum and sloth friends will freeze if we don't keep moving. This storm is far worse than most this far South. With my help, you should survive it. My sympathies go out should you choose not to listen saber." she shouted roughly over gusts of wind.

Diego's eyes widened. Was she not just asking that he obey her, but that she sincerely wanted to… _help_?

The nineteen year old's voice echoed in Diego's head_. Listen to me or you will die in the storm. I know what I'm doing. I am doing this on your behalf. I am not as crazy and heartless as I try to appear on the outside._

A sudden gale whooshed past Diego. His sight of Cayote, Sid, and the possums was almost completely blocked out now and huge prints visible just moments earlier had nearly vanished under the rapidly falling blanket of snow.

Diego weighed his options. Just as he had no choice but to let Sassy leave him for Sheba prior and assume she was sincere about keeping Sheba away from them, he had little hope of surviving if he didn't listen to Cayote.

Though Diego considered her rash, borderline crazy, and egotistic, a difference existed between his opinion of her and Sheba: he had _some_ faith in Cayote. Just as the mammoth had defended him and his friends from Sheba twice, now she seemed adamant on getting them through the snowstorm safely. But one question remained: could he trust her to get them through the storm _**alive**_?

The saber finally came to a decision: to vest trust in the mammoth. Diego let out an exasperated sigh, committing himself to possible injury, death, and a whole series of daunting "unknowns."

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Diego felt Cayote's trunk guide him underneath her tall standing form. He found himself standing in the space between her front legs which partially protected him from the chilling storm. The saber also felt Crash and Eddie burrowing as deeply as possible into the fur on the mammoth's underbelly to stay warm.

Diego's mind raced during the seemingly endless period that he trudged through the deep snow under Cayote. He thought about every member of the herd, from the mischievous and fungus-covered to large, loyal friends. The saber prayed that he, Crash, Eddie, Sid, and would survive. But to him, Manny, Ellie, and their probably already-born calf's safety were more important than the other herd members' survival (himself included). The saber could neither bear to lose his best friend, Manfred, in the snowstorm nor entertain the fact that Manny's dreams could once again be shattered if he lost his family again…

Only when Diego felt a rough nudge back from a mammoth trunk did his mind return to the present.

Cayote was standing in front of a huge, frozen dire wolf surrounded by pinkish-red snow. The saber felt a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach. The wolf's scarlet pelt had a deep stab wound that could only have been made by a large tusk. Furthermore, a bloody piece of mammoth flesh and brown fur with an all too familiar scent was lodged between its jaws.

Diego's nightmarish fears were confirmed…

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A saber-toothed squirrel was also caught up in the storm. Despite his hasty departure from Samson, Len, Ellie, and the others earlier that day, the hyper, quick rodent had not traveled fast enough to escape the storm's wrath.

A ferocious thunder clap startled the acorn-obsessed squirrel.

Scrat let out a startled squeak and sniffed the air for danger. Charcoal clouds suddenly blocked out the sun and the temperature noticeably dropped.

The squirrel was situated at the border of the area hit by the tremor, but fallen trees were still numerous. Scrat needed to hide, but seeking shelter under fallen logs would do him no good with the storm coming. He would get buried alive hiding in a place like that! The rodent speedily raced about in search of a suitable sanctuary.

But due to his chronic bad luck (and lack of hiding spots), Scrat did not find shelter in time. In fact, he caught out in the open when snow began to fall at record speed. The poor squirrel screamed in panic as he struggled to dig himself out of rapidly descending snow.

Despite ardently clawing away the avalanche of white powder, the small squirrel was eventually encased in snow on all sides. Only an air pocket kept open by a nearby rock kept him using up all the oxygen in his tiny, pitch-black prison.

For what felt like hours, Scrat feverishly tried to dig himself out with his claws and teeth. He shouted, squeaked, and even raced in panicked circles at the sharpest angles in all of existence.

Just when the worn squirrel was about to give up hope, he heard a scraping sound above him. Realizing that someone might have found him, the squirrel went into a squeaking frenzy and banged his paws fiercely against the heavily packed snow above that imprisoned him.

Suddenly, a huge paw poked into the rodent's white prison and created an opening large enough for Scrat to escape.

To squirrel's surprise, when he poked his head out of the hole, snow was still falling around him at an alarming rate. If it was still afternoon, he couldn't tell: it was as dark as night.

Scrat gulped when he spotted a pair of glowing blue eyes staring directly at him. Its eye shine sent shivers down Scrat's spine. _A predator?_

"We are out to settle a debt to some people we have been traveling with. I heard a rumor that you have followed them in the past. We have picked up clues that match the description of the others they are looking for. Do you know where to find the animals that they are trying to find?" the creature with the blue eye shine asked.

Scrat pondered for a few moments who the creature meant by _they_ before nodding and squeaking "yes" to its question. The instant squirrel answered, he was picked up by a blunt clawed creature. Its tight grip squeezed the breath out of him. Scrat squeaked and voiced his discomfort, but it seemed to have no effect on the creature that held him.

"I take it then you can lead us to them_ rodent_. I assure you I am an experienced tracker. Once you find the slightest clue in this wasteland, with a little more help, I will be able to trace it to the herd. Got that saber-rat?" The creature spat.

The harsh being that held him spoke in a threatening voice that clearly implied harm would come to him if he did not cooperate. But its voice also conveyed that it seemed... _worried_?

Scrat nodded in earnest. The rough creature's iron grip barely allowed him to breath and he already felt faint.

After what felt like eons, the individual set him down and allowed him to catch his breath.

"You have agreed to help us. Please get to it!"

Scrat's ears drooped. It would be a nearly impossible feat to find Ellie, Samson, and the rest because he was unable to see a mere foot ahead of him in the blizzard. Still, the creatures, whoever they were, clearly meant business.

Scrat took a moment make his best guess at the direction from which he had come from. But the poor rodent suddenly felt a horrible sinking feeling in his tiny gut. He was not the only one who was stuck in this storm; Samson, the only living thing that had ever befriended him was likely caught in the blizzard with the other mammoths! Scrat genuinely hoped they had good intentions for Manny and the others they were searching for. Still, Scrat didn't have time to question their motives. The squirrel had to act fast. It was up to Scrat to find the herd and the clock was ticking against him…

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	21. I Am Your Fellow Predator: A Saber

**A/N: Once again, my apologies for taking so long to update… especially for my frequent readers who have been very eager for an update. Things with have very busy as expected and I have had trouble finding the time and extra motivation to write this. For this chapter, I took a lot of time to make sure it was as well-done as possible and took extra time to do so. **

**NOTE: Contains blood and mention of some very sad themes. **

**Without further adieu, here's the chapter! ;)**

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By the time the snow had begun to die down, it was almost twilight. The raging wind began to give way. It was replaced by a nippy and cold, but less fierce wind. Snowflakes fell at a slower, steady pace.

Diego—who still walked beneath Cayote— could scarcely feel his paws. Cold But the saber paid little attention to how cold he was: the ghastly image of dead dire wolf with mammoth flesh in his jaws was still fresh in his mind.

Movement above Diego snapped out of the reverie. Crash and Eddie were cautiously peering out from Cayote's thick brownish-black fur.

As well, Sid was squirming out from the protection Cayote had offered him. This place happened to be the area between Cayote's underbelly and above Diego's back.

Sid was unable to cling to the mammoth's fur upside-down and unlike the possums, was too large to burrow into the warmth of the mammoth's thick fur. Therefore, Sid had been sometimes squeezed between the saber and mammoth and at other times, he was left clinging to both Cayote's belly and Diego's back simultaneously.

"You have no idea what it is like being in the middle of a saber and mammoth sandwich!" Sid cried as he shifted uncomfortably.

The possums snickered. In a moment, Crash and Eddie calmed down.

"Is it starting to end finally?" Eddie called to she-moth carrying them.

Cayote peered up at the clouds in the evening yellow-hued ebony sky.

"In a bit. By the looks of it, the snow will stop pretty soon. But you opossums missed something rather important." she stated coldly. Her whole body stiffened and she slowly—almost cautiously—held something red and frozen meat into view.

Diego gasped. It was same bloody piece of mammoth flesh with the brown, wooly fur still attached. A large, serrated fang was imbedded in the piece of meat. The smilodon nearly retched. It was the piece of flesh from the in the jaws dead earlier! Diego never had imagined he would ever find a piece of meat so repulsive. To him, meat was food. But not when the fur and skin texture looked and smelled identical to that of his best friend!

"Found this stuck in a dead wolf's jaws." Cayote continued, addressing Sid and the possums that had not yet seen the hunk of flesh. "The critter was starving by the looks of it. It was nothing but a pile of bones. World's cruel ain't it?" Cayote's usual sarcastic tone was completely absent. Instead, her vice was rough and stony.

Sid and the possums gaped. They stared at the meat with fearful and astonished expressions. But the Cayote merely shrugged. The nineteen year old was back to acting as if seeing the injured, starved, and dying were an everyday occurrence… or perhaps she was trying to hide sadness...

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The group continued onward. The wolf had traveled far after it had been stabbed by a tusk, and now the group was tracking it back to the attack site. However, with the wind and deep snow covering the blood, Cayote lost track the wolf's crimson trail several times Still, the female mammoth seemed to be as skilled at tracking as a saber-toothed-tiger.

Diego smelled something peculiar. Blood with a different scent? "Are we… still on the path... of that wolf?" His voice came out more shaky and raspy than he expected.

The smilodon noticed that Cayote's pace had suddenly quickened. "Yes. But it seems the blood-trail we are following is now from _two_ wolves." she replied.

Diego's heart began to pound in his chest. _Another… wolf? We have to be close now._

"Arggh! This is way too grotesque for me bro!" Crash exclaimed. He pointed to Cayote, who was uncovering drips of blood from the snow with soft kicks of her huge feet.

Sid suddenly turned a bright shade of green. "Too much red. Red bad! Red blood! Red blood is bad!" he shouted in disgust and fear as we waved his arms dramatically.

To everyone's relief, Sid fainted in shock opposed to vomiting on them. He ended up laying limply on Diego's back.

The group hadn't walked much further when they saw the shivering form of injured dire wolf in the snow.

With Diego and Sid still under her and the possums peering out from the cautiously from the fur on her shoulder, Cayote stamped toward the wolf.

The loud sound of snow crunching beneath Cayote's feet wasn't enough to earn the subconscious wolf's attention, but her merciless gaze and irritated snort was enough to startle the dying wolf into raising its head in alarm.

Just like the other frozen wolf whose crimson trail Cayote and the others had been following, this canine was also extremely thin. A few drips of red flowed down its weak shivering body from several semi-deep wounds.

But Cayote paid the weakened creature no heed. "I take it you and some of your canine friends have attacked a couple of mammoths." she said curtly. She cast an icy, cold stare at the wolf.

The snow had now all but stopped falling and red and purples in the twilight sky illuminated the landscape now that the dark clouds rolled back. Due to this, Cayote and the wolf could both see clearly ahead.

Slowly, the large canine weakly sat up and nodded.

"So, where is the rest of your pack?"

The dire wolf stared at her wide-eyed and let out a low-growl.

"Please, speak up. That is, if you know what's good for you in your final hours." Cayote took another intimidating step dying canine.

Crash and Eddie gasped and disappeared into her fur.

Diego found himself wanting to back up and give the wolf some space… and even some kindness. However, he was reminded of the wicked deed this wolf had committed when the memory raw hunk of his friend's flesh flashed through his mind once again. Anger flooded Diego's veins. _I __**have**__ to get find out where Manny and the rest are from this mutt_!

Diego pressed forward as Cayote walked trudged closer to and questioned the huge predator again.

He caught a glimpse of the wolf's fearful, angry golden eyes as it weakly bared its teeth at Cayote. The saber felt a slight pang of remorse. He was also once dying in the snow after he fought Soto. The saber tooth tiger shook his head harshly, his mission was to save Manny and Ellie; not feel pity for animals that attacked them!

Cayote's loud voice snapped Diego out of the reverie. This was her sixth time asking the stubborn, scared wolf about the herd without it answering. The mammoth's patience was wearing thin.

"This is your last chance wolf. If I have to, I'll kill you right here and you will die nothing but a cowering, scared pup! Give me the information I need and allow me to save you some dignity instead of falling dead with the same bleating call as your helpless prey." She sneered.

"S-she's not normally this mean is she?" Crash stammered. He grabbed tightly to a dark clump of the mammoth's fur with his paws and tail.

"No." Eddie chirped in fright. He stared at the wretched wolf that had ceased growling and slowly opened its mouth as if about to speak.

"She… She's sort of acting like a crazy sloth we know right now bro. …Only I get the feeling she..." Crash glanced nervously at Cayote and then back at his brother. "I have this… crazy slimy feeling bro..." The possum eyed his brother. He wanted to finish, but couldn't figure out how properly formulate the words.

"Cayote's… being like this to the wolf… to help us? To help us find Manny and our sis'?" Eddie suggested.

Crash barely had time to give his brother a slight nod before they heard hushed voice of the wolf.

"My pack attacked them. The mammoths. Not one… but several." it panted.

Cayote adjusted her footing as if biding her time and attempting to make the wolf even more uneasy. "How **many** does _several _constitute exactly?"

"At least five mammoths. My pack… couldn't see all of them through the blinding storm." The wolf stated.

The terrified, tired dull look in the wolf's eyes was suddenly replaced by a sparkle of defiance. "One of them caught me with its tusks as you see. They are cruel as you are. I will die here." The wolf paused as it took a long breath. "I am not… a mere pup as you say mammoth…. I have found courage… and held steady in the face of the enemy. Mark me words! …My pack… my pack _will_ find you… find you… and _will_ kill you like the rest!"

The canine was gasping for air just from the extra energy it took to speak. The dire wolf suddenly wolf collapsed into the snow. It breathed in short, shallow gasps.

Diego bolted out from under Cayote causing Sid to tumble into the snow with a loud, "Oomph!"

He grabbed the wolf by the shoulder with his paw. "Where? Where are they? The mammoths you attacked?" Diego took a breath. "Tell me and I promise I will see to it that this mammoth there doesn't kill any members of your pack… I promise… she won't attack your unless they attack us first." Diego gave the dying dire wolf a mild shake.

"Tell me… _please_." Diego pleaded. "I promise…. I swear my oath as your fellow predator. A saber… a saber also once dying alone in the snow." His vivid green eyes begged for an answer, a way to save his friends if there was any hope left.

The wolf's faded golden eyes opened one last time. "By a rock… a rock ledge covered in snow." the dire wolf spoke in a raspy, whisper of a voice. "…Follow the trail… The trail left by me and others injured…. and you will find…. the place…. the place of the….ammmbuusshh."

The dire wolf's shoulder muscles slackened in Diego's paws and its blank eyes stared half-lidded into the heavens. Diego stared in silence at the dire wolf's lifeless form for a few moments as bitter anger and sorrow waged war within him.

A few minutes later, the saber solemnly approached Cayote who stood in the snow patiently beside a very teary, slack-jawed Sid. The mammoth had a thoughtful, sullen look in her eyes. She seemed to understand the pains of death or at least what Diego was going through; that he was hungry for vengeance but at the same time, felt sorry for the wolf.

The smilodon fought to find his voice "C-Cayote." he stammered. "Manny and the others were attacked by a ledge that is covered in snow…. The wolf said to follow any trails of blood there. That will lead us to the herd." Diego explained. "I-if they are alive, we don't have much time…" A lone tear slid down his cheek, not so much for the wolf, but for Manny and the others. Despite all the toughness, fearlessness, and unwavering courage saber-toothed tigers were known for, Diego's greatest wish now was to bolt away: to flee out of the terror and dread out of seeing what had become of his _family_.

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